"Oh, indeed!" Mrs. Herndon's expression was noncommittal, while her
eyes surveyed the lieutenant.
"With your permission, of course," he said.
"I hardly think I have any need to interfere."
They separated, the younger people walking slowly, silently toward the
door. He held her arm, assisting her to descend the stairway, his lips
murmuring a few commonplaces, to which she scarcely returned even
monosyllabic replies, although she frequently flashed shy glances at
his grave face. Both realized that some explanation was forthcoming,
yet neither was quite prepared to force the issue.
"I have no wraps at the hotel," she said, as he attempted to turn that
way. "That was a lie also; let us walk directly down the road."
He indulged in no comment, his eyes perceiving a pathetic pleading in
her upturned face. Suddenly there came to him a belief that the girl
was crying; he could feel the slight tremor of her form against his
own. He glanced furtively at her, only to catch the glitter of a
falling tear. To her evident distress, his heart made instant and
sympathetic response. With all respect influencing the action, his
hand closed warmly over the smaller one on his sleeve.
"Little girl," he said, forgetting the shortness of their acquaintance
in the deep feeling of the moment, "tell me what the trouble is."
"I suppose you think me an awful creature for saying that," she blurted
out, without looking up. "It wasn't ladylike or nice, but--but I
simply could n't help it, Lieutenant Brant."
"You mean your sudden determination to carry me home with you?" he
asked, relieved to think this might prove the entire difficulty.
"Don't let that worry you. Why, I am simply rejoiced at being
permitted to go. Do you know, I wanted to request the privilege all
the time we were dancing together. But you acted so differently from
when we were beneath the vines that I actually lost my nerve."
She looked up, and he caught a fleeting glimpse into her unveiled eyes.
"I did not wish you to ask me."
"What?" He stopped suddenly. "Why then did you make such an
announcement to Mrs. Herndon?"
"Oh, that was different," she explained, uneasily. "I had to do that;
I had to trust you to help me out, but--but I really wanted to go home
alone."
He swept his unbelieving eyes around over the deserted night scene, not
knowing what answer to return to so strange an avowal. "Was that what
caused you to appear so distant to me in the hall, so vastly different
from what you had been before?"