"Not now," she murmured.
"Yes," he persisted, again approaching her.
Her very resistance spurred him on. Like most men, he valued most what he could not have. Had she yielded readily, he would have thought less of her. She drew back, as if avoiding his embrace.
"You must give me time to consider," she whispered.
Stafford was about to insist, when suddenly the folding doors behind them were thrown open, disclosing the elaborately laid dining table. At the same instant Fanny and her fiancé reappeared from the library. Giving Virginia a quick glance, as if anxious to know what had occurred during their absence, the elder sister said:
"Those pictures are lovely, aren't they, Jim?"
"Fine," he exclaimed.
Stafford bowed in acknowledgment.
"I'm glad you liked them," he smiled. Turning to the younger sister, he added: "Shall we go in to dinner?"
Virginia, who had been standing with her back to the dining room, her face clouded in deep thought, turned round. An exclamation of surprise and delight escaped her lips when she caught sight of the elaborate spread made in her honor.