Not at him, though; resolutely away from him, he might almost have
thought--as if she didn't want him to see.

"That's right," he said, craning round to make sure that the smile was
there. "Have a look at the funny side of it."

She winced at that as from a blow and pulled herself away from him.
Then she controlled herself and, in answer to his look of troubled
amazement, said:

"It's all right. Only it happens that you're the one who d-doesn't know
how awfully funny it really is." Her voice shook, but she got it in hand
again. "No, I don't mean anything by that. Here! Give me a kiss and then
let me wash my face."

And for the whole evening, and again next morning until he left the
house, she managed to keep him in the only half-questioning belief that
nothing was the matter.

It was about an hour after that, that her maid came into her bedroom,
where she had had her breakfast, and said that Miss Stanton wanted to
see her.




CHAPTER VI

THE DAMASCUS ROAD