ught how that
must appear to him; she had not thought about it at all; she had just
done it.

She had been one of those who think of betrothal in terms of question
and answer, of a moment when decision is formulated and spoken; she had
supposed that, by withholding reply to Henry's question put even before
Uncle Benny went away, she was thereby maintaining the same relation
between Henry and herself. But now she was discovering that this was
not so; she was realizing that Henry had not required formal answer to
him because he considered that such answer had become superfluous; her
yes, if she accepted him now, would not establish a new bond, it would
merely acknowledge what was already understood. She had accepted
that--had she not--when, in the rush of her feeling, she had thrust her
hand into his the day before; she had accepted it, even more
undeniably, when he had seized her and kissed her.

Not that she had sought or even consciously permitted, that; it had,
indeed, surprised her. While they were alone together, and he was
telling her things about himself, somewhat as he had at the table at
Field's, Alan Conrad was announced, and she had risen to go. Henry had
tried to detain her; then, as he looked down at her, hot impulse had
seemed to conquer him; he caught her, irresistibly; amazed, bewildered,
she looked up at him, and he bent and kissed her. The power of his
arms about her--she could feel them yet, sometimes--half frightened,
half enthralled her. But his lips against her cheek--she had turned
her lips away so that his pressed her cheek! She had been quite unable
to know how she had felt then, because at that instant she had realized
that she was seen. So she had disengaged herself as quickly as
possible and, after Alan was gone, she had fled to her room without
going back to Henry at all.

How could she have expected Henry to have interpreted that flight from
him as disapproval when she had not meant it as that; when, indeed, she
did not know herself what was stirring in her that instinct to go away
alone? She had not by that disowned the new relation which he had
accepted as established between them. And did she wish to disown it
now? What had happened had come sooner and with less of her will
active in it than she had expected; but she knew it was only what she
had expected to come. The pride she had felt in being with him was,
she realized, only anticipatory of the pride she would experience