Then, suddenly, she leant down over him, and kissed him, lightly, on the forehead.
"I kissed you like that, last night, when you were asleep," she said, with an odd, breathless, little catch in her voice.
Then she turned, and hurried away, through the trees, back to the house,—
A great drowsiness took possession of the King. He did not resist it. He gave himself up to it gladly—
His instinct had served him well. Judith understood him, better than he understood himself. Judith was right. She was always right. The larger part of his trouble, it seemed to him, now, had been, as she said, his bewilderment, his uncertainty, as to where he and she stood. Now that Judith had defined their position—as plainly as it could be defined with safety—a great burden seemed to have been lifted from his mind. Judith understood him. Nothing else mattered. Other things—could not touch him here in Paradise. Other things—could wait.
His shadow—
Half asleep, as he was already, he sat up abruptly.
The bright, afternoon sun was shining full on to the little clearing, throwing no shadow—
His shadow was not there—
Leaning back, contentedly, in his chair, he closed his eyes again.