"I promise."
She leaned back against the seat, suddenly relaxed as from a great strain, and closed her eyes. But she did not draw her hand away. Then she opened her eyes and looked at him, and her lips were quivering. An immense longing to take her in his arms, to stoop and kiss those lips, to hold her close to him, rushed through the man's veins. But he held himself back. To do that would be base; to do that would be asking payment! He could not do that. But sometime, sometime....
She saw the change in his face, sat for an instant very still, then drew her hand away, got out her handkerchief and passed it across her eyes.
"Now we can talk," she said, in another tone. "You may choose the subject."
Dan pulled himself together.
"Oh, any subject will do," he laughed. "Ships or shoes or sealing-wax—just so you do the talking."
And he got out his pipe and filled it with trembling fingers. He was absurdly happy.