"No—nothing," she replied, with a slight flush. He saw that she was mustering all her courage for some grand effort. He waited, only mildly curious, as his mind was busy with some new business he and Tetlow had undertaken. Presently she stood squarely before him, her hands behind her back and her face upturned. "Won't you kiss me?" she said.
"Sure!" said he. And he kissed her on the cheek and resumed operations with his military brushes.
"I didn't mean that—that kind of a kiss," said she dejectedly.
He paused with a quick characteristic turn of the head, looked keenly at her, resumed his brushing. A quizzical smile played over his face. "Oh, I see," said he. "You've been thinking about duty. And you've decided to do yours. . . . Eh?"
"I think—It seems to me—I don't think—" she stammered, then said desperately, "I've not been acting right by you. I want to—to do better."
"That's good," said he briskly, with a nod of approval—and never a glance in her direction. "You think you'll let me have a kiss now and then—eh? All right, my dear."
"Oh, you won't understand me!" she cried, ready to weep with vexation.
"You mean I won't misunderstand you," replied he amiably, as he set about fixing his tie. "You've been mulling things over in your mind. You've decided I'm secretly pining for you. You've resolved to be good and kind and dutiful—generous—to feed old dog Tray a few crumbs now and then. . . . That's nice and sweet of you—" He paused until the crisis in tying was passed—"very nice and sweet of you—but—There's nothing in it. All I ask of you for myself is to see that I'm comfortable—that Mrs. Lowell and the servants treat me right. If I don't like anything, I'll speak out—never fear."
"But—Fred—I want to be your wife—I really do," she pleaded.
He turned on her, and his eyes seemed to pierce into the chamber of her thoughts. "Drop it, my dear," he said quietly. "Neither of us is in love with the other. So there's not the slightest reason for pretending. If I ever want to be free of you, I'll tell you so. If you ever want to get rid of me, all you have to do is to ask—and it'll be arranged. Meanwhile, let's enjoy ourselves."