He murmured her name over and again. "Thank God! I've found you!" he said. "I'll never let you go now!"
Even while he was looking at her, Nahnya contrived to conquer the surprise which had betrayed her weakness. Her face turned hard, and her hands ceased to tremble. Snatching her hands out of his, she darted to the door. Ralph was nearer. He reached it first, closed it, and put his back against it.
"No, you don't!" he cried triumphantly. "You won't escape me again! You love me, and I'll never let you go!"
Nahnya darted an unfathomable look at Kitty. "How dare you?" she said to Ralph in a suffocating voice. "Before her! After what happen between you!"
Ralph recollected Kitty for the first, and looked at her in honest surprise. "Between us?" he said. "There's nothing between us!"
There was another silence. Ralph looked from one to another of the girls in frowning perplexity. At last an explanation occurred to him.
"Are you jealous?" he cried to Nahnya.
She started angrily.
"Kitty took me in," said Ralph eagerly. "She nursed me like an angel. I'll be grateful to her all my life. We're friends. There's nothing else—I swear to you! Oh, this is horrible! Kitty, tell her there was nothing between us!"
"I do not care!" said Nahnya quickly.