and passed, but did not greatly care.

"Take me away," she repeated patiently. "I thought there'd be other
people here. He said so. But I've come here alone before, only he was
different to-day. He was different."

"Don't tell me. I don't want to know. I won't ever ask you again. I
never ought to have asked you. It's all right, dear. It's all right."

"I didn't know people were like that--anybody, ever. I just didn't
know----"

"Don't, dear," said Neil sharply. The small, bewildered voice that held
more wonder and pain than her words broke off, but her bewildered eyes
still wondered and grieved. Neil's arms went out to her suddenly and
drew her close, holding her gently, and hiding her small, pathetic face
against his shoulder.

"Don't," he whispered. "I'll take care of you. I'm going to take care of
you. Nobody's going to hurt you any more."

"Neil, I just didn't know. I didn't know."

"It's all right. I'm going to take you away. Just wait, dear. I'm going
to take care of you."

He spoke to her softly, saying the same thing over and over, as if he
were quieting a frightened child. She was quiet in his arms like a
frightened and tired child in any arms held out to it. One arm had
slipped round his neck and clung to him. She drew long choking breaths
as if she were too tired to cry. Gradually they stopped, but the arm
round his neck only clung tighter.

"Don't leave me," she whispered.

"No, I'm not going to. I'm going to take care of you. You know that,
don't you, Judith?"

"Yes. Neil?"

"Yes, dear."

"Neil." Still in his arms, because she felt safe and protected there,
Judith lifted her head and looked at him, and into her sweet, dazed
eyes, full of a terror that she could not understand, came a faint flash
of anger. This boy who held her so safe and comforted was her enemy,
too. Long before the ugly accident of what had happened behind the
library doors he had been her enemy, and he was her enemy now, though
she needed his protection and took it. Their quarrel was not over.
"Neil, I don't forgive you. I'm never going to forgive you."

"All right, dear."

"And I hate you. You know that, don't you? I hate you."

"Yes, dear, I know it. We aren't going to talk about that now. Let me
go."

Both arms were round him now. Judith let him draw them gently apart and
down, and drew back from him. The anger was gone from her eyes. She
watched him wide eyed and still, as children watch the incomprehensible
a