He stood up suddenly. "I wanted to see how much I could stand," he answered.
She closed her eyes for a moment … her immobility was full of tremulous fear and hope.
"Ah!" she said, finally. "So you did care, after all!"
"Yes … when it was too late."
She crossed over to him, putting one wan finger on his trembling lips in protest. She did not speak, but he read the thrilling simplicity of her silence completely. "Love is never too late!" was what her eloquent gesture implied.
He thrust her forward at arm's length, searching her eyes. "You are right," he said, slowly. "And yet it can be bitter!"
She released herself gently. "You shouldn't have watched me like that … it wasn't fair."
"I didn't think you would ever know… And that first night I didn't intend to watch … not really. After that it got to be habit… You've no idea the capacity for suffering an unhappy man can acquire."
She took off her hat and flung it on the bed. "What made you follow me to-night?"
"You came out of a clear sky … when I needed you most … as you have always done… I didn't think I could ever escape that man waiting for me below—not even for an instant… To-morrow, at this time, I may be dead … or worse."