Since she had left him she had been immersed again in her old life—­her old friends—­and the result had been to make her wonder if her experience with Ben had been as wonderful as it had seemed.  When she stopped for him she had been almost prepared to find that the wild joy of their meetings had been something accidental and temporary, and that only a stimulating and pleasant friendship was left.  But as soon as she saw that he really regarded their differences seriously, all her own prudence and doubt melted away.  She knew she was ready to make any sacrifices for him, and in view of that all talk of obstacles was folly.

She stopped the car on the point of the island, with the open sea on one hand, the harbor on the other.  In front of them the lightship was moving with a slow, majestic roll, and to the right was the long festoon of Narragansett lights, and as they stopped the lighted bulk of the New York boat appeared, making its way toward Point Judith.

His prolonged silence began to frighten her.

“Ben,” she said, “do you seriously mean that you believe friendship between us is impossible?”

“Friendship, nothing,” answered Moreton.  “I love you.”

He said it as if it had always been understood between them, as of course it had, but the instant he said it, he gave her a quick, appealing look to see how she would take so startling an assertion.

If Crystal had poured out just what was in her mind at that second she would have answered:  “Of course you do.  I’ve known that longer than you have.  And can’t you see that if I had had any doubt about its being true, I’d have taken steps to make it true?  But, as I really did not doubt it, I’ve been able to be quite passive and leave it mostly to you, which I so much prefer.”

But rigorous candor is rarely attained, and Crystal did not say this.  In fact, for a few seconds she did not say anything, but merely allowed her eyes to shine upon him, with the inevitable result that at the end of precisely six seconds of their benevolent invitation he took her in his arms and kissed her.  It was a very unprotected point, and several cars were standing not too far away, but Crystal, who had an excellent sense of proportion, made no objection whatever.  She was being proved right in two important particulars—­first, that she was a human being, and second, that there was no barrier between them.  She was very generous about it.  She did not say, “Where’s your barrier now?” or anything like that; she simply said nothing, and the barrier passed out of the conversation and was no more seen.

Very soon, alleging that she must get home at the time at which she usually did get home from dinners, she took him back; but she soothed him with the promise of an uninterrupted day to follow.