ch may almost as well be described as "pique."
But, of late, he had not felt so sure about it. He did not, in fact,
feel quite so sure about any-thing.

Desire was changing. He had expected her to change, but the rapidity of
it was somewhat breath-taking. In appearance she had become noticeably
younger. The firm line of her lips had taken on softer curves; the warm
white of her skin was bloomy like a healthy child's; shadow after
shadow had lifted from her deep grey eyes. But it was in her manner
that the most significant difference lay. Spence sometimes wondered if
he had dreamed the silent Desire of the mountain cottage. That Desire
had stood coldly alone; had listened and weighed and gone her own way
with the hard confidence of too early maturity. This Desire listened
and weighed still, but her confidence was often now replaced by
questioning. In this new and more normal world, her unserved,
unsatisfied youth was breaking through.

But, if she were younger, she was certainly not more simple. If the
grey eyes were less shadowed, they were no less inscrutable. If the
lips were softer, their serenity was as baffling as their sternness had
been. If she seemed more plastic she was not less illusive. Nimble as
were his mental processes, the professor was discomfited to find that
hers were still more nimble.

Meanwhile the Book was getting on. No excursions into the land of youth
were allowed to interfere with Desire's idea of her secretarial duties.
If anyone shirked, it was the author; if anyone wanted holidays it was
he. If he were lazy, Desire found ways of making progress without him;
if he grumbled, she laughed.

The day set apart for the arrival of Miss Davis had been voted a
holiday and the professor hoped that her non-appearance would not
interfere with so pleasant an arrangement. But Desire's ideas were
quite otherwise. Sharply on time she descended to the library with her
note-book ready. The professor felt injured.

"Must we really?" he said. "Yes. I see we must. But mind! I know why
you are doing it. I thought of your reason in the night when I was
unable to sleep from overwork. You are hurrying to get through so that
we may leave this sleepy town. Insatiable window-gazer! You wish to
look in bigger windows."

"Do I?" Desire turned limpid eyes upon him and tapped her note-book.
"Then the sooner we get on with this chapter on 'The Significance of
the Totem' the better. But, if you can excuse me this after