"
"I'm sure it is. Supposing we leave it at that."
Desire smiled her shadowy smile. "Very well. But I wanted you to
know that I understand. It's so silly to go on pretending not to
see, when one does see. And it's only natural that things should
seem more poignant for a time. Only you will recover much more
quickly if you adopt a sensible attitude. I do not say, 'do not
think of Mary,' I say 'think of her openly.'"
"How," said Spence, "does one think openly?"
"One talks."
"You wish me to talk of Mary?"
"It will be so good for you!" warmly.
They looked for a moment into each other's eyes. And Spence was
conscious of a second shock. Was there, was there the faintest glint
of something which was not all sympathy in those grey depths of
hers? Before his conscious mind had even formulated the question,
his other mind had asked and answered it, and, with the lightning
speed of the subconscious, had acted. The professor became aware of
a complete change of outlook. His remorse and timidity left him. His
brain worked clearly.
"Very well," said the professor.
The worm had turned!
CHAPTER XIV
Mornings are beautiful all over the earth but Nature keeps a special
kind of morning for early summer use at Friendly Bay. In sudden
clearness, in chill sweetness, in almost awful purity there is no
other morning like it. It wrings the human soul quite clear of
everything save wonder at its loveliness.
Desire never bathed until the sun was up, not because she feared the
dawn-cold water but because she would not stir the unbroken beauty
of its opal tide.
Pages:
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126