She was nervous, though, and dropped many of them several times, so that he felt that time would have been gained if she had not touched them.

He returned them to the bag, with her help, and placed the bag in a pocket of his trousers.

Then once more he said good-by to her.
This time, however, she stood between him and the door, and when he tried to step around her she changed her position so as to be always in front of him.
"Tell me where you are going ?" she said.
"What do you want to know for ?" he demanded.
"Just because," she said; "because I want to know." His eyes lighted with a deep fire as he looked at her.

She was very close to him; he felt her warm breath; saw her bosom heave rapidly, and a strange intoxication seized him.
"Shall I tell you ?" he said, with sudden hoarseness, as though asking himself the question.

He grasped her by the shoulders and looked closely at her, his eyes boring, probing, as though searching for some evidence of duplicity in hers.