Her eyes sought the ground, the smile round her lips grew merrier; she began pushing the loose stones about with her fingers.
She looked up with defiant eyes. "Well, I suppose I must get home," she answered.
He waited for no more, but caught her up in his arms and held her closely clasped. For a moment he paused while he battled with, and conquered, an inclination to stoop and kiss her, then, turning his face from hers, he swung away towards the huts.
She smiled to herself, and laid her head down upon his shoulder; she could feel the mad beating of his heart, and it made her own beat faster.
"Yes," he answered, keeping his face steadily turned away.
"Look at me," she said, authoritatively, "Why do you look away?" "Am I so ugly?"
He turned slowly, looking down upon her face, at her lips, scarce an inch from his. "So beautiful," he said; "so beautiful. It is best that I do not look at you."
He held her a little closer, and answered with another question: "Did you ever see cherries growing?"
"And did ever you notice that folks put nets over them to keep the birds from pecking them?"
"Do you think they'd be able to resist the temptation of touching them if they could see them looking so tempting, so sweet and beautiful, if they wasn't protected?"
"Well,"--he turned and looked at her for a moment--"I'm like the birds, and your lips are the cherries. I mustn't look or I shall be tempted."
She flushed all over her face and neck, then into her eyes laughter stole.
"Did it ever strike you that perhaps the cherries were made for the birds to peck?" she said, half nervously.
He looked at her once more; the bronze colour faded from his face, his great chest heaved.
"Mariposas?" he said, gently, questioningly, "Mariposas!"
She grew pale and frightened, she had only been playing with him.
"Let me down," she said, "I can walk now; let me down, Bob."
He lowered her from his arms gently, she stood firmly upon both feet, there was no vestige of pain in the expression of her face.
"Thank you," she said, demurely, looking up at him and laughing as though something amused her. "Are you going on to the Paradise? Wait a little while; let me go alone; folks'll talk if they see us together; most outrageous ideas get into some people's heads when they've not much to think of."