He looked up, and his grey eyes seemed to be laughing, but his mouth—that perplexing, humorous, inscrutable mouth of his remained grave and determined.
"Karen," he said, "if you only understood how much I do like you, you wouldn't perhaps deal so mercilessly with me."
"I? Merciless?"
"You are. You made me use force with you when you should not have resisted. And now you have done something more merciless yet."
"W—what, Kervyn?"
"You know ... I must have those papers."
"Kervyn!"
"Dear—look at me. No—in the eyes. Now look at me while I say, as seriously and as gently as I know how, that I am going to have those papers!... You know I mean what I say.... That is all—dear."
Her eyes fell and she looked at her orchids.
"Why do you speak that way to me—after giving me these?"