242 The Real Charlotte. 



beginning in some inexplicable way to feel frightened ; " I 

 think you're awfully kind," 



" No, I am not kind," he said, turning suddenly very 

 white, and feeling his blood beating down to his finger-tips ; 

 " you must not say that when you know it's — " Something 

 seemed to catch in his throat and take his voice away. *' It 

 gives me the greatest pleasure to do anything for you," he 

 ended lamely. 



The clear crimson deepened in Francie's cheeks. She 

 knew in one startling instant what Christopher meant, and 

 her fingers twined and untwined themselves in the crochet 

 sofa-cover as she sat, not daring to look at him, and not 

 knowing in the least what to say. 



" How can I be kind to you ? " went on Christopher, his 

 vacillation swept away by the look in her downcast face that 

 told him she understood him ; " it's just the other way, it's 

 you who are kind to me. If you only knew what happiness 

 it is to me — to — to be with you — to do anything on earth 

 for you — you know what I mean — I see you know what I 

 mean." 



A vision rose up before Francie of her past self, loitering 

 about the Dublin streets, and another of an incredible and 

 yet possible future self, dwelling at Bruff in purple and fine 

 linen, and then she looked up and met Christopher's eyes. 

 She saw the look of tortured uncertainty and avowed pur- 

 pose that there was no mistaking ; Bruff and its glories 

 melted away before it, and in their stead came Hawkins' 

 laughing face, his voice, his touch, his kiss, in overpower- 

 ing contrast to the face opposite to her, with its uncompre- 

 hended intellect and refinement, and its pale anxiety. 



" Don't say things like that to me, Mr. Dysart," she said 

 tremulously ; " I know how good you are to me, twice, twice 

 too good, and if I was in trouble, you'd be the first I'd come 

 to. But I'm all right," with an attempted gaiety and uncon- 

 cern that went near bringing the tears to her eyes ; '' I can 

 paddle my own canoe for a while yet ! " 



Her instinct told her that Christopher would be quicker 

 than most men to understand that she was putting up a line 

 of defence, and to respect it ; and with the unfaifing recoil 

 of her mind upon Hawkins, she thought how little such a 

 method would have prevailed with him. 



