It was not long before she seemed to master herself, and, falling aside from the trunk of the tree, turned a dull and almost sullen face to his.
“I did not think I should see you to-day,” she said, with monotonous steadiness.
Richard, hot and cold by turns, watched her earnestly.
“I came to try and find you, Bess,” he answered.
“Find me!”
There was an indescribable ring of self-scorn in her voice, though she carried her head more bravely and labored less with her breathing.
“Am I worth finding, Mr. Jeffray?”
“I have been much troubled for your sake, Bess.”
She flashed a wonderful look at him, her eyes lighting up like water in the sun. It was sympathy she needed, and the flow of a friend’s words.
“Ah, you are very good to me,” she said.