He felt her breath on his face. There was warmth and fragrance in it. Her white beauty was greater than that of the dogwood blossoms showering there through the gloom under a sudden breeze; and a dizziness struck him, so that the trees swam before his eyes.
“I have you,” he repeated thickly, rising to his feet.
“And the girl ... Sadie?” she asked.
“You are Sadie. Only you. I have forgotten....” He put out his arms, but she was beyond his reach again, her eyes mysterious.
With outstretched arms, he begged her to return.
“I love you,” he said.
For a full breath she looked at him gravely. Then, “We shall see,” she said, plunging her hands into the stream. As she arose, her hands were cupped and brimming with water. She moved toward him, smiling.
Terror gathered in Joe’s white face.
“Drink,” she tempted him.
He whispered “No,” and the refusal seemed to strengthen him, for when she said again, “Drink,” he shouted it: “No!”