She knew with unerring instinct that he had made his first desperate effort to speak his love and failed. Would he give it up and wait for weeks and possibly months—or would he storm the citadel in one mad rush at the beginning?
He found his voice at last. He had recovered from the panic of his first impulse.
“Well, how do you like my idea of a good day as far as you've gone?” he asked lightly.
She met his gaze with perfect frankness. “The happiest day I ever spent in my life,” she confessed.
“Honest?”
“Honest.”
“Oh, shucks—what's the use!” he cried, with sudden fierce resolution. “You've got me, Kiddo, you've got me! I've been eatin' out of your hand since the minute I laid my eyes on you in that big room. I'm all yours. You can do anything you want with me. For God's sake, tell me that you like me a little.”
The blood slowly mounted to her cheeks in red waves of tremulous emotion.
“I like you very much,” she said in low tones.
He seized her hand and held it in a desperate grip.