‘Isn’t it better?’ said Tarrant, drawing slightly nearer to her.

‘Of course it is.’

‘I used to know thousands of verses by heart.’

‘Did you ever write any?’

’Half-a-dozen epics or so, when I was about seventeen.  Yet, I don’t come of a poetical family.  My father—­’

He stopped abruptly, looked into Nancy’s face with a smile, and said in a tone of playfulness: 

‘Do you remember asking me whether I had anything to do with—­’

Nancy, flushing over all her features, exclaimed, ’Don’t! please don’t!  I’m ashamed of myself!’

’I didn’t like it.  But we know each other better now.  You were quite right.  That was how my grandfather made his money.  My father, I believe, got through most of it, and gave no particular thought to me.  His mother—­the old lady whom you know—­had plenty of her own—­to be mine, she tells me, some day.  Do you wish to be forgiven for hurting my pride?’ he added.

‘I don’t know what made me say such a thing—­’

She faltered the words; she felt her will subdued.  Tarrant reached a hand, and took one of hers, and kissed it; then allowed her to draw it away.

‘Now will you give me another blackberry?’

The girl was trembling; a light shone in her eyes.  She offered the leaf with fruit in it; Tarrant, whilst choosing, touched the blue veins of her wrist with his lips.

‘What are you going to do?’ she asked presently.  ’I mean, what do you aim at in life?’

’Enjoyment.  Why should I trouble about anything else.  I should be content if life were all like this:  to look at a beautiful face, and listen to a voice that charms me, and touch a hand that makes me thrill with such pleasure as I never knew.’

‘It’s waste of time.’

’Oh, never time was spent so well!  Look at me again like that—­ with the eyes half-closed, and the lips half-mocking.  Oh, the exquisite lips!  If I might—­if I might—­’

He did not stir from his posture of languid ease, but Nancy, with a quick movement, drew a little away from him, then rose.

‘It’s time to go back,’ she said absently.

‘No, no; not yet.  Let me look at you for a few minutes more!’

She began to walk slowly, head bent.

’Well then, to-morrow, or the day after.  The place will be just as beautiful, and you even more.  The sea-air makes you lovelier from day to day.’

Nancy looked back for an instant.  Tarrant followed, and in the deep leafy way he again helped her to pass the briers.  But their hands never touched, and the silence was unbroken until they had issued into the open lane.

CHAPTER 6

The lodgings were taken for three weeks, and more than half the time had now elapsed.