utterly unexpected, something I had never heard before, and also the way she was looking at me with a sort of incredulous, concentrated attention, disconcerted me exceedingly.  I knew perfectly well what I had done and yet I felt that I didn’t understand what had happened.  I became suddenly abashed and I muttered that I had better go and dismiss that poor Dominic.  She made no answer, gave no sign.  She stood there lost in a vision—­or was it a sensation?- -of the most absorbing kind.  I hurried out into the hall, shamefaced, as if I were making my escape while she wasn’t looking.  And yet I felt her looking fixedly at me, with a sort of stupefaction on her features—­in her whole attitude—­as though she had never even heard of such a thing as a kiss in her life.

A dim lamp (of Pompeiian form) hanging on a long chain left the hall practically dark.  Dominic, advancing towards me from a distant corner, was but a little more opaque shadow than the others.  He had expected me on board every moment till about three o’clock, but as I didn’t turn up and gave no sign of life in any other way he started on his hunt.  He sought news of me from the garcons at the various cafes, from the cochers de fiacre in front of the Exchange, from the tobacconist lady at the counter of the fashionable Debit de Tabac, from the old man who sold papers outside the cercle, and from the flower-girl at the door of the fashionable restaurant where I had my table.  That young woman, whose business name was Irma, had come on duty about mid-day.  She said to Dominic:  “I think I’ve seen all his friends this morning but I haven’t seen him for a week.  What has become of him?”

“That’s exactly what I want to know,” Dominic replied in a fury and then went back to the harbour on the chance that I might have called either on board or at Madame Leonore’s cafe.

I expressed to him my surprise that he should fuss about me like an old hen over a chick.  It wasn’t like him at all.  And he said that “en effet” it was Madame Leonore who wouldn’t give him any peace.  He hoped I wouldn’t mind, it was best to humour women in little things; and so he started off again, made straight for the street of the Consuls, was told there that I wasn’t at home but the woman of the house looked so funny that he didn’t know what to make of it.  Therefore, after some hesitation, he took the liberty to inquire at this house, too, and being told that I couldn’t be disturbed, had made up his mind not to go on board without actually setting his eyes on me and hearing from my own lips that nothing was changed as to sailing orders.

“There is nothing changed, Dominic,” I said.

“No change of any sort?” he insisted, looking very sombre and speaking gloomily from under his black moustaches in the dim glow of the alabaster lamp hanging above his head.  He peered at me in an extraordinary manner as if he wanted to make sure that I had all my limbs about me.  I asked him to call for my bag at the other house, on his way to the harbour, and he departed reassured, not, however, without remarking ironically that ever since she saw that American cavalier Madame Leonore was not easy in her mind about me.