At this she seemed moved by some feeling stronger than mere embarrassment or discomfort. She gave a little shiver and raised her eyes to his with a murmured "Don't!" It was as though she now, for the first time, realised to some extent not only what he meant but what he felt, and that the realisation caused her a deeper alarm. She sighed as though under some weight and now, also for the first time, blushed brightly. But when they were going to the door, she put her arm inside his for a moment, and gave him a friendly little squeeze. When he looked round into her face, she laughed rather nervously. "We're dear friends, anyhow," she said. "You can walk with me to my hat shop, if you like." "I won't come in," he protested, in a masculine horror that she liked. "Nobody asked you. I expect to find Laura Jenkinson waiting for me there. As it's your fault I'm so late, she'd be very cross with you." They walked up the street together in silence for a little way. Then his attention was caught by a wonderful gown in a shop-window and he turned to her to point it out, with a laugh; he had determined to press her no further that day. To his surprise he saw that her eyes were dim; a tear trickled down her cheek. "Why, Bernadette----!" he began in shocked remorse. "Yes, I know," she interrupted petulantly. "Well, you frightened me. I'm--I'm not used to things like that." Then she too saw the startling frock. "Look at that, Sir Oliver! I don't believe I should ever dare to wear it!" "I fancy it's meant to appeal to ladies of another sort." "Is it? Don't they wear just what we do? Well, just a little more so, perhaps!" She stood eyeing the gown with a whimsical smile. "It is rather naughty, isn't it?" She moved on again. He watched her face now. She had wiped away the tear, no more came; she was smiling, not brightly, but yet with a pensive amusement. Presently she asked him a question. "By what you said there--in the café, you know--did you mean that you wanted me to run away with you?" He was rather surprised at her returning to the subject. "I meant that I wanted to take you away with me. There'd be no running about it." "What, to do it,--openly?" "Anything else wouldn't be at all according to my ideas. Still----" He shrugged his shoulders again; he was not sure whether, under stress of temptation, he would succeed in holding to his point. She began to laugh, but stopped hastily when she saw that he looked angry. "Oh, but you are absurd, you really are," she told him in a gentle soothing fashion. "I don't see that anybody could call it absurd," he remarked, frowning. "Some good folk would no doubt call it very wicked." "Well, I should, for one," said Bernadette, "if that's of any importance." She made him laugh again, as she generally could. "I believe I could convince you, if that's the obstacle," he began. "I don't suppose it is really--not the only one anyhow. Oh, here's the shop!"