“Yes. Yes, of course.”
“You are not offended?”
He did not answer. She came up to him and repeated the question in a childishly anxious voice that was a trifle too humble. And looking down into her eyes he saw a gleam of pure mischief in them.
“You little villain!” he said; and caught her wrists. “A lot you care whether I am offended!”
She looked away from him, turning her profile. Her expression was inscrutable. After a silence he dropped her wrists with a vague laugh.
“You should have let me alone,” he said.
“‘The woman tempted me,’” she repeated, still looking away from him. He said nothing.
“Good night,” she nodded, and turned toward the door.
He went with her, falling into step beside her. One arm slipped around her waist as they entered the hallway. They walked slowly to the door. He unlatched it, hesitated; she moved one foot forward, and he took a step at the same time which brought her across his path so closely that contact was unavoidable. And he kissed her.
“Oh,” she said. “So you are human after all! I often wondered.”