apartment. Wanted to show it to me now. He's living down the river,
and's going off in half an hour. H'm. Well, guess I better let it go
till the next time he's in."
"Don't mind us, old chap," said Canning, without hesitation.
"If you wanted mamma to look at it with you, Willie? Perhaps--"
Mrs. Heth was already on her feet.
"Nonsense, Willie! Of course get the man while he's here--and _I'm_ here
too! Across the hall?--it won't take us five minutes--"
"All right'm--thank you," agreed Willie, with evident pleasure. He
added, smiling roguishly: "You two be trusted five minutes without a
chaperon?"
Carlisle laughed dazzlingly.
"Five years, Willie. Mr. Canning is absolutely safe."
Mrs. Heth, saying archly that they would not absent themselves quite so
long as that, glided out. Willie followed, engrossed in Johnson. The
door was left half open. Johnson was presented. Their voices died away
across and down the hall....
A momentary silence fell upon Mr. Canning and Carlisle, thus deserted in
the Kerr sitting-room. It appeared to embarrass neither. Having risen,
Canning stood at the mantel, sipping his Scotch and looking down at her.
Carlisle went on cutting bread and butter, or something of that sort.
She felt agreeably excited. In the manner of the shining passer-by she
had observed just that progressiveness noted on the occasion of their
two other meetings: faintly ironic boredom yielding slowly to passive
interest, passive interest warming steadily....
She had taken off her coat, at Kerr's solicitation; she sat with lowered
lashes, the glow of the fire upon her cheek. To what measure she engaged
and intrigued the eye, Mr. Canning had had seven weeks to forget. No
dull wit, we may suppose, in appreciation of feminine masterpieces, he
seemed to see it suddenly with some force now, standing and sipping the
pleasurable Scotch. And he began to speak in a voice not previously
heard in Kerr's apartment.
"Lonely, Miss Heth, when the moon shines bright--blue, too, now that I
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