She caught both his hands,
kissed them again and again, and then buried her face against them as
she sobbed. If the heavens had opened and a cloudburst crashed on the
roof of the house, he would have been less astounded.
"What is it?" he cried. "Damn it all--Jack--you see--I meant--"
But she tore herself away and flung herself face down on the bunk,
sobbing more bitterly than ever. He followed, awestricken--terrified.
He touched her shoulder, but she shrank away and seemed more
distressed than ever. It was not the crying of a weak woman: these
were heartrending sounds, like the sobbing of a man who has never
before known tears.
"Jack--perhaps I've done something wrong--"
He stammered again: "I didn't dream I was hurting you--"
Then light broke upon him.
He said: "It's because you don't want to be treated like a silly girl;
eh, Jack?"
But to complete his astonishment she moaned: "N-n-no! It's b-b-because
you--you n-n-never _do_ t-treat me like a g-g-girl, P-P-Pierre!"
He groaned heartily: "Well, I'll be damned!"
And because he was thoughtful he strode away, staring at the floor.
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