"Oh, that it were Dwight who had said that!" And the realization
which it immediately brought of the glad credence which it would
have received from me had it only fallen from _his_ lips caused
an inward tremble of self-consciousness which doubtless communicated
itself to my glance. For Guy Pollard, without waiting for any words
I might have to say, leaned towards me with a gratified air, and
with what I would like to call a smile, exclaimed:

"You have been in the house scarce twenty-four hours, but I feel as
if I could already give you the title of friend. Will you accept it
from me, Miss Sterling, and with it my most cordial appreciation and
esteem?"

"Ah, this is mere bait!" I thought, and was tempted to indignantly
repel the hand he held out; but something restrained me which I am
to proud to call fear, and which in reality I do not think was fear,
so much as it was wonder and a desire to understand the full motive
of a condescension I could not but feel was unprecedented in this
arrogant nature. I therefore gave him my hand, but in a steady,
mechanical way that I flattered myself committed me to nothing;
though the slight but unmistakable pressure he returned seemed to
show that he took it for a sign of amity, if not of absolute
surrender.

"You relieve me of a great weight," he acknowledged. "Had you been
of the commonplace type of woman, you might have made it very
uncomfortable for us." "And what have I said and done," I could
not help remarking, though neither so bitterly nor with so much
irony as I might have done had that desire of which I have spoken
been less keen than it was, "to lead you to think I shall not yet do