“One recantation is enough for to-day.”
“No, no.”
“Very well, blue eyes.” And Knight laughed, and drew her close and kissed her the second time, which operations he performed with the carefulness of a fruiterer touching a bunch of grapes so as not to disturb their bloom.
Elfride objected to a second, and flung away her face, the movement causing a slight disarrangement of hat and hair. Hardly thinking what she said in the trepidation of the moment, she exclaimed, clapping her hand to her ear—
“Ah, we must be careful! I lost the other earring doing like this.”
No sooner did she realise the significant words than a troubled look passed across her face, and she shut her lips as if to keep them back.
“Doing like what?” said Knight, perplexed.
“Oh, sitting down out of doors,” she replied hastily.
Chapter XXIX
“Care, thou canker.”