She turned toward the door. He made a gesture of open exasperation. This was all so unfair! He had only meant to be kind and considerate and--and everything like that! And now she had drawn against him one of those unique and damnable indictments which seem to be peculiarly the product of a certain type of feminine mentality, and against which man is constitutionally incapable of setting up any effective defence, reason and logic alike being arbitrarily ruled out of court by the essential injustice of the charge. She chose to accuse him of having adopted toward her a mental attitude of which he was wholly guiltless; and there was no way by which he might persuade her of his innocence! And it was so confoundedly clear that she considered herself, temporarily at least, abused and altogether justified of her complaint! "Please," he begged, "don't go yet. Give _me_ a chance!" Her hand was on the knob. She hesitated, with an air of expectant and generous concession. "You're really quite unfair," he began; but paused to regain control of himself and to wonder a little, blindly, why it was that he tolerated her impudence--for it couldn't be called anything less. It would be much more sensible and quite just to bow to her construction of their indefinite relations and let her go her ways without more argument. In spite of everything, he could not refrain from one last attempt to set himself right. "I don't quite know what to say to you," he resumed patiently, "when you insist on putting thoughts into my head that never were there. I've really wanted to help you--" "Why?" The monosyllable brought him up startled and staring. "Why? I hardly know...." "Didn't you know better?" "I don't understand you--" Her eyes were wide and dark to his; all trace of petulance had faded from her manner. "You ought to. You ought to know," she insisted quietly, "that a man like you can't be just _kind_ to a girl like me without.... Oh!" she cried, "I suppose it would've been different if the show had gone out--and everything--but now, with that hope gone--and nothing more to do for you--with no prospects but to lose you--the only friend I've got in the world--!" Her voice broke at a high pitch, and she fell silent, turning away to stare with swimming eyes down at the table. He saw her trembling violently, her lips quivering. His amazement was extraordinary and bewildering. He heard his voice, as it might have been another's, saying: "Does it really mean so much to you?" "Oh, can't you see!" With a little, helpless motion of her hands, she lifted quickly to him a face of flushed and tear-dimmed loveliness. Another man might have been numb to its appeal: to Matthias it proved irresistible, coming sharp upon the shock of comprehending that she offered him her love, herself.