The Head of the House of CoombeBurnett, Frances Hodgson
General
The Head of the House of Coombe
Burnett, Frances Hodgson
England -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
“Perhaps he will not find out at all,” she thought, dancing all the
while and trying to talk as well as think. “I was too little for him to
remember. I only remembered because I had nothing else. Oh, if he
should not find out!” She could not go and tell him. Even if a girl
could do such a thing, perhaps he could not recall a childish incident
of so long ago—such a small, small thing. It had only been immense to
her and so much water had flowed under his bridge bearing so many
flotillas. She had only stood and looked down at a thin trickling
stream which carried no ships at all. It was very difficult to keep her
eyes from stealing—even darting—about in search of him. His high fair
head with the clipped wave in its hair could be followed if one dared
be alert. He danced with an auburn haired girl, he spun down the room
with a brown one, he paused for a moment to show the trick of a new
step to a tall one with black coils. He was at the end of the room, he
was tangoing towards her and she felt her heart beat and beat. He
passed close by and his eyes turned upon her and after he had passed a
queer little inner trembling would not cease. Oh! if he had looked a
little longer—if her partner would only carry her past him! And how
dreadful she was to let herself feel so excited when he could not be
_expected_ to remember such a little thing—just a baby playing with him
in a garden. Oh!—her heart giving a leap—if he would look—if he would
_look!_
When did she first awaken to a realization—after what seemed years and
years of waiting and not being able to conquer the inwardly trembling
feeling—that he was _beginning_ to look—that somehow he had become
aware of her presence and that it drew his eyes though there was no
special recognition in them? Down the full length of the room they met
hers first, and again as he passed with yet another partner. Then when
he was resting between dances and being very gay indeed—though somehow
he always seemed gay. He had been gay when they played in the Gardens.
Yes, his eyes cane and found her. She thought he spoke of her to
someone near him. Of course Robin looked away and tried not to look
again too soon. But when in spite of intention and even determination,
something forced her glance and made it a creeping, following
glance—there were his eyes again. She was frightened each time it
happened, but he was not. She began to know with new beatings of the
pulse that he no longer looked by chance, but because he wanted to see
her—and wished her to see him, as if he had begun to call to her with a
gay Donal challenge. It was like that, though his demeanour was
faultlessly correct.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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