unexplored as the sudden mystery of their discovery by herself.

Always, now, while she posed, she was looking at him with a still
intentness, as though he really wore a mask and she, breathlessly
vigilant, watched for the moment when he might forget and lift it.

But during the weeks that followed, if the mask were indeed only the
steady preoccupation that his visage wore, she seemed to learn
nothing more about him when his features lost their dark absorption
and he caught her eye and smiled. No, the smile revealed nothing
except another mask under the more serious cast of
concentration--only another disguise that covered whatever this man
might truly be deeper down--this masculine and unknown invader of
frontiers surrendered ere she had understood they were even
besieged.

And during these weeks in early spring their characteristics, even
characters, seemed to have shifted curiously and become reversed;
his was now the light, irresponsible, half-mocking badinage--almost
boyishly boisterous at times, as, for instance, when he stepped
forward after the pose and swung her laughingly from the
model-platform to her corner on the sofa.

"You pretty and clever little thing," he said, "why are you becoming
so serious and absent-minded?"

"Am I becoming so?"

"You are. You oughtn't to: you've made a new and completely
different man of me."