Miss Julia listened to it all with her head on one side and a modestly deprecatory half-smile on her face. At its finish she rose, turned to face everybody, made a pert, laughing little bow, and sat down again, apparently all happiness. But it was noted that Marsena did not take his pained and fascinated gaze from that mocking white screen on the wall straight in front.
They walked in silence that evening to almost the gate of the Parmalee mansion. Julia had taken his arm, as usual; but Marsena could not but feel that the touch was different. It was in the nature of a relief to him that for once she did not talk. His heart was too sore, his brain too bewildered, for the task of even a one-sided conversation, such as theirs was wont to be. Then all at once the silence grew terrible to him—a weight to be lifted at all hazards on the instant.
"Shull must have made that last slide himself," he blurted out. "I never dreamt of its being made."
"I thought it came out very well indeed," remarked Miss Parmalee, "especially his uniform. You could quite see the eagles on the buttons. You must thank Mr. Shull for me."
"I'll speak to him in the morning about it," said Marsena, with gloomy emphasis. He sighed, bit his lip, fixed an intent gaze upon the big dark bulk of the Parmalee house looming before them, and spoke again. "There's something that I want to say to you, though, that won't keep till morning."
A tiny movement of the hand on his arm was the only response.
"I see now," Marsena went on, "that I ain't been making any real headway with you at all. I thought—well—I don't know as I know just what I did think—but I guess now that it was a mistake."
Yes—there was a distinct flutter of the little gloved hand. It put a wild thought into Marsena's head.
"Would you," he began boldly—"I never spoke of it before—but would you—that is, if I was to enlist and go to the War—would that make any difference?—you know what I mean."
She looked up at him with magnetic sweetness in her dusky, shadowed glance. "How can any able-bodied young patriot hesitate at such a time as this?" she made answer, and pressed his arm.