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447 THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY. 447 absolutely prevented. " I'm afraid it's impossible. People are saying <j;ood-night, and I must be where they can see me." " I shall wait till they are all gone, then ! " She hesitated a moment. " Ah, that will be delightful !" she exclaimed. And he waited, though it took a long time yet. There were several people, at the end, who seemed tethered to the carpet. The Countess Gemini, who was never herself till midnight, as she said, displayed no consciousness that the entertainment was over ; she had still a little circle of gentlemen in front of the fire, who every now and then broke into a united laugh. Osmond had disappeared he never bade good-bye to people ; and as the Countess was extending her range, according to her custom at this period of the evening, Isabel had sent Pansy to bed. Isabel sat a little g,part ; she too appeared to wish that her sister-in-law would sound a lower note and let the last loiterers depart in peace. "May I not say a word to you now?" Goodwood presently asked her. She got up immediately, smiling. " Certainly, we will go somewhere else, if you like." They went together, leaving the Countess with her little circle, and for a moment after they had crossed the threshold neither of them spoke. Isabel would not sit down ; she stood in the middle of the room slowly fanning herself, with the same familiar grace. She seemed to be waiting for him to speak. Now that he was alone with her, all the passion that he had never stifled surged into his senses ; it hummed in his eyes and made things swim around him. The bright, empty room grew dim and blurred, and through the rustling tissue he saw Isabel hover before him with gleaming eyes and parted lips. If he had seen more distinctly he would have perceived that her smile was fixed and a trifle forced that she was frightened at what she saw in his own face. " I suppose you wish to bid me good-bye 1 " she said. " Yes but I don't like it. I don't want to leave Rome," he answered, with almost plaintive honesty. " I can well imagine. It is wonderfully good of you. I can't tell you how kind I think you." For a moment more he said nothing. " With a few words like that you make me go." " You must come back some day," Isabel. rejoined, brightly. " Some day 1 You mean as long a time hence as possible."