Gaston took her beautiful hand in his and held it lingeringly. Never in all his life had the mere touch of a human hand thrilled him with such strange power, How long he held it he could not tell but it was with a sort of hurt surprise he felt her gently withdraw it at last.
They had reached the parlour again, and he slowly fell into an easy chair.
“Do you dance, Miss Sallie?”
“Why yes, don’t you dance?”
“Never tried in my life.”
“Don’t you approve of dancing?”
“I never had time to think about it. It always seemed silly to me.”
“It’s great fun.”
“I’d take lessons if you would agree to teach me, and I could dance with you all the time, and keep all the other fellows away.”
“Well, I must say that’s doing fairly well for a timid young man’s first day’s acquaintance. What will you say when you once become fully self-possessed?” She lifted her high arched eyebrows and looked at him with those blue eyes full of tantalising fun until he had to look down at the floor to keep from saying more than he dared. When he looked up again he changed the subject.