"
She accepted the explanation in silence. He was, to all
appearance, not quite satisfied with it himself. For a moment or
two he looked about him uneasily. Then the old fascination
fastened its hold on him again. Once more he looked at the
graceful turn of her head, at the rich masses of her hair. The
courage to put the critical question to him, now that she had
lured him into remaining in the room, was still a courage that
failed her. She remained as busy as ever with her work--too busy
to look at him; too busy to speak to him. The silence became
unendurable. He broke it by making a commonplace inquiry after
her health. "I am well enough to be ashamed of the anxiety I have
caused and the trouble I have given," she answered. "To-day I
have got downstairs for the first time. I am trying to do a
little work." She looked into the basket. The various specimens
of wool in it were partly in balls and partly in loose skeins.
The skeins were mixed and tangled. "Here is sad confusion!" she
exclaimed, timidly, with a faint smile. "How am I to set it right
again?"
"Let me help you," said Julian.
"You!"
"Why not?" he asked, with a momentary return of the quaint humor
which she remembered so well.
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