kitchen with a look at the Lodger which revealed (unless I was entirely
mistaken) a sly sense of triumph. What did it mean?

The deaf man addressed me with a cold and distant manner. "We must
understand each other," he said. "Will you follow me to my side of the
cottage?" I shook my head. "Very well," he resumed; "we will have it out,
here. When I trusted you with my confession last night, I left you to
decide (after reading it) whether you would make an enemy of me or not.
You remember that?" I nodded my head. "Then I now ask you, Mr. Roylake:
Which are we--enemies or friends?"

I took the pencil, and wrote my reply:

"Neither enemies nor friends. We are strangers from this time forth."

Some internal struggle produced a change in his face--visible for one
moment, hidden from me in a moment more. "I think you will regret the
decision at which you have arrived." He said that, and saluted me with
his grandly gracious bow. As he turned away, he perceived Cristel at the
other end of the room, and eagerly joined her.

"The only happy moments I have are my moments passed in your presence,"
he said. "I shall trouble you no more for to-day. Give me a little
comfort to take back with me to my solitude. I didn't notice that there
were other persons present when I asked leave to kiss you. May I hope
that you forgive me?"

He held out his hand; it was not taken. He waited a little, in the vain
hope that she would relent: she turned away from him.