Page:Fidelia, (IA fidelia00balm).pdf/57

 —why doesn't she come?" Then he saw her in the lighted doorway.

She was the taller of the two who now appeared there; for the other was Myra. Alice made a figure very familiar to him but not quite as he expected. She was less, in some way; he thought, "She's tired." He moved toward the door and she parted from Myra and came out; and as she saw him, she called to him in her eager, gentle way and she hurried to him. He quickened his step to her, feeling his heart leaping and pounding. She was not less to him now.

"Oh, Davey!" she cried to him; and he caught her hands which she gave to him together. He held them tight between his own; that was safe enough there just out of the light; he wanted to kiss her; but that was not safe there. "Alice!" he said. "Oh, this is good!"

"You've missed me, Davey?"

"Never anything like it with me before."

"Nor with me," she confessed.

"Let's get in the car." And he led her to it, releasing one of her hands and holding the other. Then he had to relinquish that. So he got into the car and he took the driving seat and switched on the dashboard light to see the dials and starter; but as soon as he had the engine going, he let it run idle to warm and he switched off the light.

She had merely waited, sitting quiet and close beside him. He had off his gloves and, feeling for her wrists, he found she had unbuttoned her gloves and stripped them off and he drew her slender, soft hands together again and brought them up to his lips, as he bent,