'I do not understand,' she said, 'how you ever came to care about me! It always was a puzzle,and never so much as to-night.' The brown eyes were strangely soft and luminous and humble.
'How is that?' said he quietly, taking his former place beside her and making suggestions of addition to her supper. But Hazel laid down her fork, giving her plate a little push, in the fashion of old times.
'I have been looking into depths,' she said,'abysses. I think I was never really near them, but I might have seemed so.'
'What sort of abysses? And in the mean time, take some iceMrs.
Coles was correct in one thing she said.'
'Dane,' Hazel said abstractedly, 'do you think you could be a success where I have proved a failure?'
'Where have you proved a failure?'
Hazel neglected her ice and leaned back in her chair.
'I used to think I could do things,' she said. 'And I have spent this whole afternoon and evening to no sort of purpose.'
'It is instructive, to learn sometimes that one cannot do things' said Dane. I suppose he had a little curiosity, but not much, for he knew he should hear what there was to hear; and he was thinking much more of Hazel than of what she had or had not failed to do. So he spoke in a rather careless amused tone.
'Very!' Hazel answered.'Dane, in buying up a man, is it more skilful to set a priceor to let him name it himself?'