When the dinner-bell rang she passed her husband's door without, as
usual, knocking, and went down alone.

In the hall she noticed some of the English party of the mountain
hut. They did not greet her, conceiving an immediate interest in the
barometer; but she could feel them staring at her very hard. She sat
down to wait, and at once became conscious of the boy coming over from
the other side of the room, rather like a person walking in his sleep.
He said not a word. But how he looked! And her heart began to beat. Was
this the moment she had longed for? If it, indeed, had come, dared she
take it? Then she saw her husband descending the stairs, saw him greet
the English party, heard the intoning of their drawl. She looked up
at the boy, and said quickly: "Was it a happy day?" It gave her such
delight to keep that look on his face, that look as if he had forgotten
everything except just the sight of her. His eyes seemed to have in
them something holy at that moment, something of the wonder-yearning of
Nature and of innocence. It was dreadful to know that in a moment that
look must be gone; perhaps never to come back on his face--that look so
precious! Her husband was approaching now! Let him see, if he would! Let
him see that someone could adore--that she was not to everyone a kind
of lower animal. Yes, he must have seen the boy's face; and yet
his expression never changed. He noticed nothing! Or was it that he
disdained to notice?


VII


Then followed for young Lennan a strange time, when he never knew from
minute to minute whether he was happy--always trying to be with her,