THE KISS 199 



naturally still. The essential and age-old silence 

 of the Roman road seemed to have flooded over 

 the country as a river floods over its banks; 

 the warbHng and muttering of the water running 

 beneath the bridge served only to accentuate 

 this silence and point out its intensity. 



" What are you thinking of ? " said Mr 

 Dashwood. 



The girl started from her reverie and glanced 

 sideways at her companion, one of those swallow- 

 swift glances whose very momentariness is filled 

 with meaning. IVIr Dashwood had spoken. In 

 those five words he had let his secret escape. 

 In the words themselves there was nothing, but 

 in the tone of them there was much. They were 

 five messengers, each bearing a message; five 

 volumes of prose could not have told her more; 

 I doubt if they could have told her'as much. 



She glanced away again at the river. 



" I don't know. Nothing. That's the charm 

 of this place. I often come here and lean on the 

 bridge and look at the water. It seems to mes- 

 merise one and take away the necessity for thought. 

 Don't you feel that when you look at it? " 



" No," said Mr Dashwood. " I wish to goodness 

 it did." 



She cast another swift side glance at him. 

 The alteration in his tone made her wonder; 

 his voice had become hard and almost irritable; 

 he spoke as a man speaks who is vexed by some 

 petty worry, and the words themselves were not 



