"S'sh! We mustn't make a noise! Good-night—I'm off to bed."
He caught hold of her hands, detaining her.
"See here, you don't think me a hopeless fool, do you?"
"Certainly not; why should I?"
"And you don't think now that I was making love to her or anything like that, do you?"
"Well, I'm not quite sure! If you keep protesting——"
She broke off with a teasing smile, looking down on him from the step above.
"Esther, you——"
Chalmers entered the hall with a measured step, on his way to bolt the front door. Esther took advantage of the interruption to tear herself away.
"Good-night," she called softly over her shoulder, and vanished up the stairs.