'I did not mean to love you!'
He kissed the question from her lips, and her right hand went up to his brown throat and round it, and drew him, to press the kiss closer; and then it held him down while she moved her head till she could whisper in his ear:—
'It was only because you were angry,' she said. 'You are not really going out to-night! Tell me you are not!'
He would not answer at first, and he tried to kiss her again, but she would not let him, and she pushed him away till she could see his face. He met her eyes frankly, but he shook his head.
'It must be to-night, and no other night,' he said gravely. 'I have made an appointment, and I have given my word. I cannot break it, but I shall come back.'
She slipped from his hold, and sat down on the broad divan, against the cushions.
'You are going into danger,' she said. 'You may not come back. You told me so.'
He tried to laugh, and answered in a careless tone:—