The moment he raised his eyes he started to his feet with an exclamation of displeased surprise.
'Miss Gordon! Miss Gordon, pray excuse me! I did not recognise you until now. You have altered your appearance so--'
'So much for the worse,' she concluded the sentence, smiling.
'Well, I cannot say I see an improvement.'
'I did not intend you should think it an improvement.'
'Why?' he asked, contracting his brows, and looking at her in a puzzled way. 'You said yesterday you wanted to look your best; you say you do not want to look your best to-day, although--' He paused.
She added,--' Although I am going out with you to-day also. Well, I have altered my mind since. I am jealous of that hat and dress and tunic. You did nothing yesterday but stare at my hat.'
'Silence! You did nothing, I say, yesterday, but stare at my hat, and I won't have that. I have put on all the most hideous things in my baggage, to see if you will give poor me a look to-day.'
'I not look at _you?_' he cried. 'What do you mean?'
He did not know what he meant by asking this question. He did not care what he meant. He meant nothing at all, but to look at that warm young face now, and lose his mind in the alluring depths of those dark soft eyes.
'Mad or drunk or love,' he thought. 'God keep me thus a little while, and I shall die content.'
'What are you looking at now?' she asked.
'Ah,' she laughed,' is this to compensate for your neglect yesterday?'
'It would compensate me,' he said, 'for a whole life of labour and pain.'
'Let us go,' she said, 'or you will be proposing to me, and I am weary of that kind of thing--that is, unless you have a great novelty. I am glad you intend to be better behaved to-day than yesterday, and give _me_ some of your attention. But do you know even to-day you have not said good-morning to me? I change my dress and do up my hair in a different way from yesterday, and when I come down to breakfast you do not know me. Then when you do recognise me, you do not even hold out your hand and say good-morning. Ah, it is all very well when I remind you of it,' she added, placing her hand in his.
Why, why was she flippant when he wanted to be calm and quiet, or rash and mad--anything but flippant? Why did she undo the spell of her beauty by the triviality of her words and ways? Such words and ways profaned the sanctuary of her loveliness as riot would a church. He not take her hand! If he dared, he would hold it and place it on his breast, and cover it with both his hands, and cherish it there for ever. Or cherish it until he could no longer hold it, but let it go to clasp that marvel to his breast, and cry into her ear the passion that shook him.