.

Perhaps he was checked by provincial prejudices about chivalry. But
perhaps he had learned a little self-control. In any case, he had
stopped for a second to think, and the wine of love was gone flat. He
wished she would release him. Also, her hair was tickling his ear. He
waited, patiently, till she should finish the kiss.

Her lips drew violently from his, and she accused, "You don't want to
kiss me!"

"Look here; I want to kiss you, all right--Lord----" For a second his
arms tightened; then he went on, cold: "But we'll both be good and
sorry if we go too far. It isn't just a cowardly caution. It's----Oh,
you know."

"Oh yes, yes, yes, we mustn't go too far, Carl. But can't we just sit
like this? O sweetheart, I am so tired! I want somebody to care for me
a little. That isn't wicked, is it? I want you to take me in your arms
and hold me close, close, and comfort me. I want so much to be
comforted. We needn't go any further, need we?"

"Oh now, good Lord! Eve, look here: don't you know we can't go on and
not go farther? I'm having a hard enough time----" He sprang up,
shakily lighting a cigarette. He stroked her hair and begged: "Please
go, Eve. I guess I haven't got very good control over myself. Please.
You make me----"

"Oh yes, yes, sure! Blame it on me! Sure! I made you let me put on a
kimono! I'm leading your pure white shriveled peanut of a soul into
temptation!... Don't you ever dare speak to me again! Oh,
you--you----"

She flounced away.

Carl caught her, in two steps. "See here, child," he said, gravely,
"if you go off like this we'll both be miserable.... You remember how
happy we were driving out to the old plantation at Powhasset?"

"O Gawd! won't you men never say anything original? Remember it? Of
course I remember it! What do you suppose I wore that little branch of
laurel you picked for me, wore it here, here, at my breast, and I
thought you'd _care_ if I hid it here where there wasn't any grease
paint, and you don't--you don't care--and we picnicked, and I sang all
the time I put up those sandwiches and hid the grape-fruit in the
basket to surprise you----"

"O darling Eve, I don't know how to say how sorry I am, so terribly
sorry I've started things going! It is my fault. But can't you see
I've got to stop it before it's too late, just for that reason? Let's
be chums again."

She shook her head. Her hand crept to his, slid over it, drew it up to
her breast. She was swaying nearer