“Have you, sweet love?” he insisted.
“No,” she whispered, trying to turn her head from him.
“No, who?”
With an irrepressible movement she sprang up, pushing his hand from hers. He rose also, his face pale and disturbed, and indescribable fear overpowering him.
“You mean,” he said quietly, “that you no longer love me,—say it now and have it over.”
“Oh,” she cried in exquisite pain, “why do you tantalize me so—can’t you see that—”
She looked so beautiful thus confessed that with sudden ecstacy he drew her to him and pressed his lips in one long kiss to hers.
A little later Mrs. Levice and Louis came down. Mrs. Levice entered first and stood still; Louis, looking over her shoulder, saw too—nothing but Ruth standing encircled by her husband’s arm; her lovely face smiled into his, which looked down at her with an expression that drove every drop of blood from Arnold’s face. For a moment they were unseen; but when Ruth, who was the first to feel their presence, started from Kemp as if she had committed a crime, Arnold came forward entirely at his ease.
Kemp met Mrs. Levice with outstretched hands and smiling eyes.
“Good-evening, Mother,” he said; “we had just been speaking of you.” Mrs. Levice looked into his deep, tender eyes, and raising her arm, drew his head down and kissed him.