Sam found himself on the other side of the fence. How he had got there he did not know. Presumably he had scrambled over. A much abraded shin bone was to show him later that this theory was the correct one, but at the moment bruised shins had no meaning for him. He stood churning the mould of the flower bed on which he had alighted, staring at the indistinct whiteness which was Kay. “But look here,” said Sam thickly. “But look here----” A bird stirred sleepily in the tree. “But look here----” And then somehow--things were happening mysteriously to-night, and apparently of their own volition--he found that Kay was in his arms. It seemed to him also, though his faculties were greatly clouded, that he was kissing Kay. “But look here----” he said thickly. They were now, in some peculiar manner, walking together up the gravel path, and he, unless his senses deceived him, was holding her hand tucked very tightly under his arm. At least, somebody, at whom he seemed to be looking from a long distance, was doing this. This individual, who appeared to be in a confused frame of mind, was holding that hand with a sort of frenzied determination, as if he were afraid she might get away from him. “But look here, this isn’t possible!” “What isn’t possible?” “All this. A girl like you--a wonderful, splendid, marvellous girl like you can’t possibly love”--the word seemed to hold all the magic of all the magicians, and he repeated it dazedly--“love--love--can’t possibly love a fellow like me.” He paused, finding the wonder of the thing oppressive. “It--it doesn’t make sense.” “Why not?” “Well, a fellow--a man--a fellow--oh, I don’t know.” Kay chuckled. It came upon Sam with an overwhelming sense of personal loss that she was smiling and that he could not see that smile. Other, future smiles he would see, but not that particular one, and it seemed to him that he would never be able to make up for having missed it. “Would you like to to know something, Sam?” “What?” “Well, if you’ll listen, I’ll explain exactly how I feel. Have you ever had a very exciting book taken away from you just when you were in the middle of it?” “No, I don’t think so.”