He had expected her to look alarmed, but instead she showed relief.

"I'll tell you the truth, Les," she said. "I was worrying. I'm
terribly fond of him. It just came all at once, and I couldn't help
it. And I thought he liked me, too, that way." She stopped and
looked up at him to see if he understood, and he nodded gravely.
"Then to-day, when he came to see Nina, he avoided me. He--I was
waiting in the hall upstairs, and he just said a word or two and
went on down."

"Poor devil!" Leslie said. "You see, he's in an unpleasant
position, to say the least. But here's a thought to go to sleep
on. If you ask me, he's keeping out of your way, not because he
cares too little, but because he cares too much."

Long after a repentant and chastened Leslie had gone to sleep, his
arm over Nina's unconscious shoulder, Elizabeth stood wide-eyed on
the tiny balcony outside her room. From it in daylight she could
see the Livingstone house. Now it was invisible, but an upper
window was outlined in the light. Very shyly she kissed her finger
tips to it.

"Good-night, dear," she whispered.




XV