He placed his hands on her shoulders.
‘I did not need that assurance, but am glad that you have told me so much. I do trust you—so much, that if you had simply said you had a secret which was not to be told to me yet a while, I should have thought nothing about it. But when I see that this thing distresses you and makes you ill—come, now, confess you would not have liked me to be indifferent.’
She confessed:
‘No; I should not have liked you to be indifferent.’
‘Very well, then, you have heard—say, a riddle, about which you think it right to hold your tongue meanwhile. I am content; for I know that you would not hold your tongue if you thought that any harm was to come of it to anybody. So, let it be, until you are ready to give us the answer to this riddle.’
He stooped and kissed her.
‘Thank you, Philip. I am better now; but it did seem so terrible to have to tell you that there was something’——
He put his hand playfully on her mouth, stopping her.
‘We are not going to say anything more about that. I have a lot of things to tell you; and came here in fear and trembling that you would be scolding me roundly for my long absence. But I see you have not missed me so much.’
Something of her bright smile returned as she shook her head disapprovingly.