"And you," I said, "in your face."
He reached over the table for my hands, and Lolly said:
"Let him, Nora. Sometimes he makes pretty good guesses."
Chambers began to reel off a fine fairy-story, which he said was to be my fortune. We were all laughing, Lolly leaning over, and making merry and mocking interpolations, and I eagerly drinking in every word, and, though I laughed, believing most of it, when suddenly I had a queer, nervous feeling that some one other than ourselves was listening to us and was watching my face. There is something in telepathy. I was afraid to look up, and my heart began to beat in a frightened way, for I knew, even before I had turned my head, that he was somewhere there in the room with us. And then I saw him directly behind Marshall Chambers. Their chairs, back to back, were almost touching, but he had turned about in his seat, so that he was looking directly at me, and I shall never forget the expression of his face. It was as though he had made some discovery that aroused both his amusement and contempt.
What had I done that he should look at me like that? I wanted to go to him, to beg him to speak to me; but some one with him—a woman, I think, for curiously enough, I was capable of seeing only him, and noted not at all his companions—said something to him, and he moved his chair till his back was turned toward me. I felt like some dumb thing unjustly punished.
Lolly said:
"What's the matter, Nora? You look as if you had seen a ghost."
I suppose my face had blanched, for I was shivering, and I wanted to cover my face with my hands and to cry and cry.
"Oh, Lolly," I said, "I want to go home!"
Chambers took me by the arm, and we passed, like people in a dream, between the tables—ah! past where he was sitting, and out into the street and then home!