"I am sorry to have troubled you."

She had resumed her seat, and, to him, there seemed a thousand
miles between them. Feeling decidedly uncomfortable and not a
little abashed, he left her and strode to the door. Again a
mirror gave him a thrill. This time it was the glass in the
car's end. He had taken but a half dozen steps when the brown
head was turned slyly and a pair of interested eyes looked after
him. She did not know that he could see her, so he had the
satisfaction of observing that pretty, puzzled face plainly until
he passed through the door.

Grenfall had formed many chance acquaintances during his travels,
sometimes taking risks and liberties that were refreshingly bold.
He had seldom been repulsed, strange to say, and as he went to
his section dizzily, he thought of the good fortune that had been
his in other attempts, and asked himself why it had not occurred
to him to make the same advances in the present instance.
Somehow she was different. There was that strange dignity, that
pure beauty, that imperial manner, all combining to forbid the
faintest thought of familiarity.

He was more than astonished at himself for having tricked her a
few moments before into a perfectly natural departure from
indifference. She had been so reserved and so natural that he
looked back and asked himself what had happened to flatter his
vanity except a passing show of interest. With this, he smiled
and recalled similar opportunities in days gone by, all of which
had been turned to advantage and had resulted in amusing