But when he would have gathered her into his embrace she stayed him.
"No, dearest," she said, "I will not let you be an Amherst, even in a little—nor would you yourself. I am not going to provoke a fresh scandal that will involve you and make of our—love a reproach. Suppose some one saw me in your arms—what would be the natural inference—with my recent past?"
"No one would see," he pleaded.
"We must not risk it—for your sake, we must not." She put out her hand and slipped it into his. "You may hold me as close as you like in fancy—you can't hold me too close—but help me to be strong, dear one, help me to be strong!"
"You are right," he reflected.—"Just another kiss, and then——"
She held up her face—and their lips met.
As they did so, the lights suddenly flared up in the room directly in the rear and through an open window fell full upon them.
He straightened up instantly.
"No one saw!" he said, glancing around toward the house.
"One can never tell," she answered, with a nervous little laugh. "Some one may have seen." She got up hastily. "Let us go in, we have been out here long enough—and Devereux will be on our trail."