“Not now,” she said.
His hopes and his heart sunk. A dreariness came over him.
“No,” he said.
His clasp of her slackened.
“I love to feel your arm there!” she said, pressing his arm against her back, where it went round her waist. “It rests me so.”
He tightened the pressure of his arm upon the small of her back to rest her.
“We belong to each other,” he said.
“Yes.”
“Then why shouldn’t we belong to each other altogether?”
“But——” she faltered.
“I know it’s a lot to ask,” he said; “but there’s not much risk for you really—not in the Gretchen way. You can trust me there?”
“Oh, I can trust you.” The answer came quick and strong “It’s not that—it’s not that at all—but——”
“What?”
She hid her face in his neck with a little cry of misery.
“I don’t know!” she cried.
She seemed slightly hysterical, but with a sort of horror. His heart died in him.
“You don’t think it ugly?” he asked.
“No, not now. You have taught me it isn’t.”
“You are afraid?”
She calmed herself hastily.
“Yes, I am only afraid,” she said.
He kissed her tenderly.
“Never mind,” he said. “You shall please yourself.”
Suddenly she gripped his arms round him, and clenched her body stiff.
“You shall have me,” she said, through her shut teeth.
His heart beat up again like fire. He folded her close, and his mouth was on her throat. She could not bear it. She drew away. He disengaged her.
“Won’t you be late?” she asked gently.
He sighed, scarcely hearing what she said. She waited, wishing he would go. At last he kissed her quickly and climbed the fence. Looking round he saw the pale blotch of her face down in the darkness under the hanging tree. There was no more of her but this pale blotch.
“Good-bye!” she called softly. She had no body, only a voice and a dim face. He turned away and ran down the
