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Men who have attained self-repression are occasionally open to a perilous onrush of feeling. Believing that they know themselves, they walk boldly forward towards the high-road and the pitfall alike. These had been Loder's disconnected ideas and speculations on the first day of his new life.
"You're always nicer when you smoke," she persisted, caressingly. "Light a cigarette and give me one." Loder's mouth became set. "No," he said, "we'll stick to this advice business. It interests me." "Yes afterwards." "No, now. You want to find out why this Englishman from Italy was at your sister's party, and why he disappeared?"
The only furniture on Loder's side was one low chair, and the only light a faint radiance that, coming from the invisible half of the pavilion; spread across the floor in a pale band. For a short space he stood uncertain, then his hesitation was brought to an end. "Please sit down," said a low, soft voice. For a further moment he stood undecided. The voice sounded so unexpectedly near.
Loder's first impression was of a room that seemed unusually luxurious, soft, and shadowed. Then all impression of inanimate things left him suddenly.
Loder's blood stirred, the undeniable suggestion of the moment thrilled and disconcerted him in a tumult of thought. Honor, duty, principle rose in a triple barrier; but honor, duty, and principle are but words to a headstrong man. Tho full significance of his position came to him as it had never come before. His hand closed on hers; he bent towards her, his pulses beating unevenly.
Don't you know what it is?" He said nothing; he made no gesture. "It is the party the country. You may put love aside, but duty is different. You have pledged yourself. You are not meant to draw back." Loder's lips parted. "Don't!" she said again. "Don't say anything! I know all that is in your mind.
Never had Toni so desperately longed to be clever as during that first week of Miss Loder's secretaryship; and never had she felt herself to be so ignorant, so childish, so futile a companion for a man like Owen. At first Miss Loder had eaten her lunch in solitude.
If Lady Astrupp should ask you who was in her tent this past ten minutes, I want you " Again he stopped, looking at his companion's face. "Yes, sir?" "I want you to tell an immaterial lie for me." Blessington returned his glance; then he laughed a little uncomfortably. "But surely, sir " "She recognized me, you mean?" Loder's eyes were as keen as steel. Yes." "Then you're wrong. She didn't."
Although Toni was not an intellectual woman, she had sharp wits; and possibly she understood Millicent Loder's personality a good deal better than Owen was able to do. And what Toni saw and Toni's intuition was rarely at fault led her to distrust the other girl with all her heart and soul. Miss Loder belonged to a rather uncommon variant of the type of emancipated womanhood.
"My dear Chilcote," he said, "we are all proud of you!" Then, looking up into his face, he added, in a graver tone, "But keep your mind upon the future; never be blinded by the present however bright it seems." At the touch of his hand, at the spontaneous approval of his first words, Loder's pride thrilled, and in a vehement rush of ambition his senses answered to the praise.
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