A long figure sprang off the sofa and ran across the room to her, half smothering her in caresses.
"Oh, Margery, I'm so glad you've come," he said—"so glad. You don't know what it has been without you. Margery, promise you won't go away again till it is finished. You won't go away again, will you?"
Margery shuddered and drew back a moment, she hardly knew why.
"Why, Frank, what's the matter?" she asked. "Have you seen a ghost—or what?"
"The place is full of ghosts," said he. "But they won't trouble me any more now you've come back. Let's go out, away from here."
"But I want to see the portrait first," said she.
"Ah, the portrait!"
Frank took two quick steps to where it was standing, and wheeled it round with its face to the wall.
"Not to-night," he said. "Please don't look at it to-night. You can't see it by this light."
"I know I can't," said she, "but I only wanted to peep at it to see if it had got on."