Part 28 (2/2)
If it was love, then it had come suddenly, and strangely. It had come on that day--at the very moment when he flung her against the tree and handcuffed her--that terrible instant--if it were love.
Or--what was it that so delicately overwhelmed her with pleasure in his presence, in his voice, in the light, firm sound of his spurred tread on the veranda below?
Friends.h.i.+p? A lonely pa.s.sion for young and decent companions.h.i.+p? The clean youth of him in contrast to the mangy, surly louts who haunted Clinch's Dump,--was that the appeal?
Listening there where she sat clasping the book, she heard his steady tread patrolling the veranda; caught the faint fragrance of his brier pipe in the still night air.
”I think--I think it's--love,” she said under her breath.... ”But he couldn't ever think of me----” always listening to his spurred tread below.
After a while she placed both bandaged feet on the rug. It hurt her, but she stood up, walked to the open window. She wanted to look at him--just a moment----
By chance he looked up at that instant, and saw her pale face, like a flower in the starlight.
”Why, Eve,” he said, ”you ought not to be on your feet.”
”Once,” she said, ”you weren't so particular about my bruises.”
Her breathless little voice coming down through the starlight thrilled him.
”Do you remember what I did?” he asked.
”Yes. You bruised my hands and made my mouth bleed.”
”I did penance--for your hands.”
”Yes, you kissed _them_!”
What possessed her--what irresponsible exhilaration was inciting her to a daring utterly foreign to her nature? She heard herself laugh, knew that she was young, pretty, capable of provocation. And in a sudden, breathless sort of way an overwhelming desire seized her to please, to charm, to be noticed by such a man--whatever, on afterthought, he might think of the step-child of Mike Clinch.
Stormont had come directly under her window and stood looking up.
”I dared not offer further penance,” he said.
The emotion in his voice stirred her--but she was still laughing down at him.
She said: ”You _did_ offer further penance--you offered your handkerchief. So--as that was _all_ you offered as reparation for--my lips----”
”Eve! I could have taken you into my arms----”
”You _did_! And threw me down among the spruces. You really did everything that a contrite heart could suggest----”
”Good heavens!” said that rather matter-of-fact young man, ”I don't believe you have forgiven me after all.”
”I have--everything except the handkerchief----”
”Then I'm coming up to complete my penance----”
”I'll lock my door!”
<script>