He checked her movement by a quick, imperious gesture.
"Wait!" he said—"Before you go I want you to know a bit of my mind—"
"Is it necessary?" she queried.
"I think so," he answered—"It will save you the trouble of ever trying to see me again, which will be a relief to me, if not to you. Listen!—and look at yourself with MY eyes—"
"Too difficult!" she declared—"I can look at nothing with your eyes any more than you can with mine!"
"Madam—"
She uttered a little laughing "Oh!" and put her hand to her ears.
"Not 'Madam' for heaven's sake!" she exclaimed; "It sounds as if I were either a queen or a dressmaker!"
His sombre eyes had no smile in them.
"How should you be addressed?" he demanded, "A woman of such wealth and independence as you possess can hardly be called 'Miss' as if she were in parental leading-strings!"