As he entered the room they ceased to
speak, and all three turned in his direction.
In the first moment he had a vague impression of responding
suitably to Lady Sarah's cordial greeting; but he knew that
immediately and unconsciously his eyes turned to Eve, while a
quick sense of surprise and satisfaction passed through him at
sight of her. For an instant he wondered how she would mark
his avoidance of her since their last eventful interview; then
instantly he blamed himself for the passing doubt. For,
before all things, he knew her to be a woman of the world.
He took Fraide's outstretched hand; and again he looked
towards Eve, waiting for her to speak.
She met his glance, but said nothing. Instead of speaking she
smiled at him--a smile that was far more reassuring than any
words, a smile that in a single second conveyed forgiveness,
approbation, and a warm, almost tender sense of sympathy and
comprehension. The remembrance of that smile stayed with him
long after they were seated at table; and far into the future
the remembrance of the lunch itself, with its pleasant private
sense of satisfaction, was destined to return to him in
retrospective moments.
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