He sat
bitingly conscious of his hands spread open on the table under
the scrutiny of eyes that were invisible to him vividly aware
of the awkwardness of his position. He felt with instinctive
certainty that a new chord had been struck; but a man seldom
acts on instinctive certainties. If the exposure of his hands
had struck this fresh note, then any added action would but
heighten the dilemma. He sat silent and motionless.
Whether his impassivity had any bearing on the moment he had
no way of knowing; but no further movement came from behind
the partition. Whatever the emotions that had caused the
sharp swish of skirts and the sharp scrape of the chair, they
had evidently subsided or been dominated by other feelings.
The next indication of life that came to him was the laying
down of the crystal ball. It was laid back upon the table
with a slight jerk that indicated a decision come to; and
almost simultaneously the seer's voice came to him again. Her
tone was lower now than it had been before, and its extreme
ease seemed slightly shaken--whether by excitement, surprise,
or curiosity, it was impossible to say.
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