He caught my hand again.

I think that he was anxious to infect me with his gayety and confidence.

But I could not answer to the appeal of his eyes.

There was a motive in him that found no place in me--a great longing, the prospect or hope of whose sudden fulfilment dwarfed danger and banished despair.

He saw that I detected its presence in him and perceived how it filled his mind.
"But the letter comes before all," said he.