When she reached out one hand toward him, in a half pathetic, half pleading gesture, he extended both his own and took it between them and held it there.
“Mr. Carter,” she said.
“Yes?” he replied.
“You will spare me, won’t you?”
“Spare you? From what?”
“From the consequences of the investigation you are making. See, I throw myself upon your mercy; I plead with you; I am pleading with you now.”
She held his eyes with her own. Her other hand reached forward and joined the first one resting upon both of his. They were standing in the middle of the room. They were very close together. Juno’s eyes were glowing strangely, and Nick, playing his part, wondered if, after all, he had not dared too much.
She was alluring. She was fascinating. She had the power of casting a spell, and already he was cognizant of the force of it.
Her eyes never left his face. He knew that she was exerting all the hypnotic power she possessed to subject him to her will.
He had no doubt that she had cultivated that power to the utmost for years, under competent teachers, until she had become a master in its use. The power of exerting hypnotic influence is an attainment which is the consequence of study and practice; it is not a gift. One may learn it just as one may learn to be a doctor, or a lawyer, or a dentist.