The little, one-sided struggle was over. There was a long, tired sigh, and then silence; silence, and one shadow face bending hungrily over the other shadow face. "Judith," the boy whispered breathlessly, "do you hate me now?"
"Yes."
"Do you want me to let you go? Do you want me to take you home?"
"Yes," came the same answering whisper, the faintest and most uncertain of whispers, but two arms, gently freeing themselves, found their way to his shoulders, two hands locked behind his head and drew it gently down, until the two shadow faces were close once more, and lips that were not shadow lips met and clung together; not shadow lips, but hungry and warm and alive--untaught but unafraid young lips, ready for kisses that are no two alike and can never come again--wonderful kisses that blot everything out of the changing world but themselves.
"Judith"--the boy lifted his head at last, and looked down at the face against his shoulder, pale and small, but with all the colour and light and life that night had taken from the world and hidden, burning undimmed in the awakening eyes--"you don"t want me to take you home? You don"t--care what happens?"
"No."
He could hardly hear her low whisper, but her face was answer enough, even for a boy who could not know what had touched it with new beauty, but had to guess, as his own heart and the night might teach him.
"No, I don"t care. I don"t care."
"Judith, you do love me?"
"Yes. Oh, yes."
"You"re so sweet," he whispered, "I feel as if I"d never kissed you before--or seen you before. I love you, Judith."
"Yes."
"I love you and I don"t want to hurt you. You know that, don"t you?"
"Yes."
"But nothing"s going to take you away from me now."
"Nothing."
"I don"t want to hurt you."
"I tell you, I don"t care what happens. I--don"t--care."
"Judith!"
Once more her hands drew him close; shy hands, groping uncertainly in the dark, and shy lips kissed him. It was the coolest and lightest of kisses, but it was worth all the others, if the boy knew how much it promised--more than all her broken speech had promised, more than any spoken words.
Judith herself did not know, but some instinct older than she was made her whisper: "Be good to me. Will you be good to me?"
"Yes, Judith."
The boy answered her small, shaken whisper solemnly, as if he were taking a formal and irrevocable vow, but there was no one to listen to it here, and bear witness to it as irrevocable. The girl did not answer him. Suddenly shy, breathing quickly, and trying to laugh, she slipped out of his arms.
The boy let her go. Some time before the trailing reins had been caught up and twisted twice round the whip socket. He had done this instinctively, he could not have told just when. He bent down and untwisted them now, rather slowly and awkwardly, not looking at Judith.
Then he sat down stiffly beside her.
"You"re tired," he said, with new gentleness in his voice. He put an arm loosely round her waist in the manner of an affectionate but inexperienced parent, and her head dropped on his shoulder. "Very tired?"
"No."
"Judith, I"m sorry."
"No, I"m sorry. How could I be so horrid? What made me? Did I hurt you, dear, with my hands?"
"You couldn"t hurt me."
"Neil, you know what you said just now?"
"Never mind what I said."
"You said you didn"t want anything to take me away from you. Well, if it did, if anything did take me away from you--now, I"d----"
"What, dear?"
"I"d never forgive you. I couldn"t. I"d despise you." This warning came in a low, uncertain voice, wasted, as countless warnings have been wasted on wiser masculine ears than the boy"s. "Look at our moon up there. It"s glad, I guess--glad about you and me. Why don"t you listen to me?"
"I"m thinking, Judith. I"ve got to think."
"You look very nice when you think. Your eyes look so big and still. You look--beautiful. I could really sleep now, I guess."
"All right, dear."
"But I don"t want to. I"m too happy. How late is it?"
"I don"t know."
"Well, it"s late. We couldn"t get home now before awfully late--two or something. And the road"s so narrow here, we couldn"t turn round. We couldn"t go home if we wanted to. Could we?"
"Not very well, dear."
"I"m glad.... Neil."
"Yes."
"Are you thinking now?"
"Yes."
"You do look beautiful. I don"t know just why. I never saw you look just like this before; kind, but years older than I am, and miles away.
Neil----"
"Yes, dear."
"Neil, don"t think any more. Just love me.... I love you."