"You angel boy! I wish I weren't going out to-night. Thank you, Jim, dear, for making me happy again."
"Are you?"
"Indescribably. I don't think you know what your kindness to me means. It makes a different person of me. It fills and thrills and inspires me. Why, Jim, it actually is health and life to me. And when you are unkind—it seems to paralyze me—check something in my mind. I can't explain——"
"Steve!"
"Yes?"
"Could I come in for a moment now?"
"I'm dressing. Oh, Jim, I'm sorry, but I'm late as it is. You know I want you, don't you?"
"All right; to-morrow, then," he said in happy voice.
He had been sitting in his room for an hour, thinking—letting his mind wander unchecked.
If he were not really in love with Stephanie, how could a mere conversation over the wire with her give him such pleasure?