"And now," she declared, in a suddenly altered tone, "this is all
over and done with. Now you know everything. There are no more
mysteries," she added, smiling at him delightfully. "It is all
very terrible, of course, but I feel as though a great weight had
passed away. You and I are going to be friends, are we not?"
She rose slowly to her feet and came towards him. His eyes
watched her slow, graceful movements as though fascinated. He
remembered on that first visit of his how wonderful he had
thought her walk. She was still smiling up at him; her fingers
fell upon his shoulders.
"You are such a strange person," she murmured. "You aren't a
little bit like any of the men I've ever known, any of the men I
have ever cared to have as friends. There is something about you
altogether different. I suppose that is why I rather like you.
Are you glad?"
For a single wild moment Tavernake hesitated. She was so close
to him that her hair touched his forehead, the breath from her
upturned lips fell upon his cheeks. Her blue eyes were half
pleading, half inviting.
"You are going to be my very dear friend, are you not--Leonard?"
she whispered. "I do feel that I need some one strong like you
to help me through these days."
Tavernake suddenly seized the hands that were upon his shoulders,
and forced them back. She felt herself gripped as though by a
vice, and a sudden terror seized her. He lifted her up and she
caught a glimpse of his wild, set face.
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