Page:Cup of Gold-1929.djvu/267

For a moment she looked at the rosy sphere and her face flushed with pleasure, but then she searched his face suspiciously.

“What have you been up to?”

“Up to? Why, I have been holding court.”

“I suppose you got this in court!” Her face lighted up. “I know! You suspected my displeasure at your actions last night. You were practically intoxicated, if you must know the truth; and all the people were staring at you and whispering. Don’t say a word. I saw them and I saw you. And now you want to bribe my feeling—my decency.”

“Suspected your displeasure! My dear, I suspected it all the way home with you, and nearly all night after I got here. You are right. I strongly suspected your displeasure. In fact, I was certain of it. But I will tell you the truth about the pearl.”

“You will tell the truth only because you know you cannot deceive me, Henry. When will you give up the idea that I don’t know every little thought you possess?”

“But I didn’t try to deceive you. You didn’t give me time.”

“It takes no more time to tell the truth than—”

“Listen to me, Elizabeth, please. I tried two pirates this morning and they gave it to me.”

She smiled a superior smile. “They gave it to you? Why? Did you release them? It would be like you to release them. Sometimes I think you would still be one of them if it weren’t for me. You never seem to realize, Henry, that it is really