Only William held aloof after a formal bow. At the sight of her,
smiling and radiant, the sullen anger within him glowed like a covered
fire under a sudden breeze. She had not been punished enough; her face
was far too bright, her manner far too frank. When she approached him
and tried to speak to him in a tone that no one else could hear, he
arose, and murmuring a stiff apology moved away, just as he had done
every time she had made the attempt. She flushed and lifted her head,
for there was no lack of pride or spirit in her softness. Yet by and by
she could not help looking at him across the table with another soft
appeal in her sweet eyes which plead dumbly for old times' sake. And
after breakfast was over she tried again, knowing that this would be the
last opportunity, and yearning with all her loving heart to win back
some of the old friendliness that she still prized as a precious thing,
which she could not give up for a mere touch of pride. Such soft
persistence is even harder to evade than to resist, and she followed
William to the door as he was going away later in the day, and was
bravely gathering courage while he looked at her in implacable coldness.
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