He sighed. Her face with its quickly changing expressions became wistful.
“Excellency, I am glad thad honorable God telling you thad about those moaneys. Perhaps he also tell you that I want be convert an’ doan’ want no moaney.”
He wavered toward her a moment, and then turned his eyes from her. He had been beguiled too long.
“Mebbe your God doan’ desire me?—mebbe,” she said.
He did not answer. To recall him to her she touched his knee. His voice was hoarse.
“Salvation is free to all,” he said dully.
She laughed almost joyfully.
“I make nudder confession,” she said eagerly. “Sometimes I ’fraid of your God. The priest tell me he is evil spirit and I getting skeered. Well, wen I come unto your house I know that your God gitting hold of my heart, for it beating so hard, I doan know wha’s matter wis me. I doan know whether I lidder bit skeered of your honorable God, or—or—of you augustness. So that other day wen you take my hand this away.” She tried to illustrate, but found him unresponsive. Her voice toiled forlornly. “I so ’fraid of tha’s influence of your God. I run so quick from your house I kinnod see, and then I came to thad temple and prostrate myself before Kwannon and beseech her save me from all those powers of evil spirit. Then I go home, and I know I jusd silly, foolish girl. Thad God you tell me ’bout is not evil spirit. No—no! You say nod, an’ I jus’ foolish, skeered, because, mebbe jus’ because I am thad happy.”
“Happy! Why were you happy?”
He could not resist the expression of her eyes and almost unconsciously allowed her hands to slip back into his.