第21章

"You are not going! I want to talk to you.Isn't Kitty dreadful?"Her voice and manner had changed.There was no one now before whom she could act--no one to whom she could show that she could slight him, play with him.

Furthermore, she had gotten some relief from the tension of her ill humour by what she had already said; and now she really wanted to see him.The ill humour had not been very deep; nothing in her was very deep.And she was perfectly sincere again--for the moment.What does one expect?

"Don't look so solemn," she said with mock ruefulness."You make me feel as though you had come to baptize me, as though you had to wash away my sins.

Come here!" and she laid her hand invitingly on the chair that Kitty had vacated at her side.

He stood bolt upright in the middle of the room, looking down at her in silence.Then he walked slowly over and took the seat.She folded her hands over the back of her own chair, laid her cheek softly down on them and looked up with a smile--subdued, submissive, fond, absolutely his.

"Don't be cross!" she pleaded, with a low laugh full of maddening music to him.

He could not speak to her or look at her for anger and shame and disappointment; so she withdrew one hand from under her cheek and folded it softly over the back of his--his was pressed hard down on the cap of his knee--and took hold of his big finders one by one, caressing them.

"Don't be cross!" she pleaded."Be good to me! I'm tired and unhappy!"Still he would not speak, or look at her; so she put her hand back under her cheek again, and with a patient little sigh closed her eyes as though she had done all she could.The next moment she leaned over and let her forehead rest on the back of his hand."You are so cross!" she said."I don't like you!""Amy!" he cried, turning fiercely on her and catching her hand cruelly in his, "before I say anything else to you, you've got to promise me--"And then he broke down and then went on again foolishly--,you've got to promise me one thing now.You sha'n't treat me in one way when we are by ourselves and go in another way when other people are present.If you love me, as you always make me believe you do when we are alone, you must make the whole world believe it!""What right would I have to make the whole world believe I loved you?" she asked, looking at him quizzically.

"I'll give you the right!"

The rattle of china at the cupboard in the next room was heard.Amy started up and skipped across the room to the candle on the mantelpiece.

"If Kitty does come back in here--" she said, in a disappointed undertone;and with the snuffers between her thumb and forefinger, she snipped them bitingly several times at the door.

The door was opened slightly, a plate was thrust through, and a laughing voice called apologetically:

"Amy!"

"Come in here! Come in!" commanded Amy, delightedly; and as Kitty reluctantly entered, she fixed upon her a telling look."Upon my word," she said, "what do you mean by treating me this way?" and catching Kitty's eye, she made a grimace at John.

Kitty offered the candy to John with the assurance that it was made out of that year's maple sugar in their own camp.