The Combined Maze

he was no longer agreeably affected by her behavior, as he had been in the beginning by her fugitive, evasive ways. Then she had, indeed, led him a dance, but he had thoroughl

reserve, and in her little face, once so te

mitable determination to stick it, and not to do the beastly thing, nor yet that there were moments when that stillness and that

osing-time. He had found out that girl clerks, what with chattering and putting on their hats and things, were always a good ten minutes later than the men. He had seen fellows (fellows from Woolridge's, some of them) hanging round

ver caught her. She was off before he cou

and without hope in the direction of Starker's, and he saw her walking away, arm in arm with another girl,

ately, with sudden lingerings, and always with a curious swinging movement of her hips. He had been close upon Winny at the corner as they turned, so close that he could have touched her. He thought she had seen him, but he could not be sure. H

her standing by the door and talking to the same strange girl. The girl had her back to him, but Winny faced him. She was not aw

thward up the same s

ie Hollis, who told him that Winny had gone up Hampstead way. No, not for g

is when she's tak

e, and Maudie an

a gentlema

e indifference Ranny pack

er!" sai

that poor Maudie would have to wait many years before Booty could afford to marry her,

on shutter. But on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday he was at his

d he could see even in th

shutter; somebody who moved forward a step as he came, somebody w

she stopped him. She stood almost in front of him, so that he should not pass. And the biggest

e full and yet low, a voice with a sort of thick throb

se me, you're Mr. Ransome, are

lf and became inarticulate, he a

nd hung with black fringes, marvelously thick and long); she

, too," she said. "

ness. Her eyes, as he expressed it afterward, were "stunners," and they were "queer"; they were th

ting for her

od waiting for

on

e ho

hen what are y

," she said, "to tell

e stood thus a man jostled her, more to attract her attention than to move her from his path. She gave a little gasp and shrank back with a movement that brought

my speaking to

but let's get ou

at implored and entreated and appealed to his young manhood for protection. Her arm yielded to his touch, yet with a slight pressure that made him aware that its tissue was of an inc

eered, northward, up the side street where he had seen her disappear with Wi

e than twenty, but her body was already rounded to the full flower of its youth. This body was neither tall nor

cut rather low, with a broad lace collar. There was a black velvet band round her waist and another

and chin. But the color and the texture of this face made almost imperceptible its flaws of structure. It was as if it had erred only through an excess of softness that made the flesh of it plastic to its blood, to the subtle flame that transfused the white of it, flushi

tiful, contrived to give an impression of strang

e had be

sn't any goo

t is

It won't help you. It won't,

he ask you to

'd let on. I'm giving you the straight tip. I'm telling you w

t-w

ouldn't stand seeing you waiting outside t

be older than he, to be no longer childlike and innocent and helpless. And her voice, her incomparab

doesn't do a man a bit of good to go on hanging abo

she doesn'

as I know she like

life of me I c

him. And you're not going th

O

pavement just to consider whether, af

fended?" Her voice im

s all

you're not-would you

y. With p

in and childlike, and he

hem. I mean I'm afraid of the people in them. They stare at

Ransome. "It'

me. Do you see anything peculiar about m

as s

he insisted

adlong toward intimacy

ask me-no, I don't. Except

m w

el

ore poignant than e

nly meant that-well, you are a

gaze inter

nd, I should fancy. Som

-wonderful-" she

me so-tha

ran

rt

talking this way-when you think-

I do," sa

et. Violet Usher

ch," sai

"cock-a-tree"; but if it was

all. Mr. Randall R

; how did you ge

inny t

s of it all he ha

it, Winny doesn't know my real name. My

l it

your hat on. Don't let it catch you full in the fac

ut I know something about you Winny do

you came to

turned presently up another side street going north

got a room here. It was awfu

all," he

king to you like that? I wouldn't have d

ourse

were answering her question

e said, "you'

ooted to the doorstep, digging in

step she watche

n't see each

ther it was a state

d it submissively, a

ow and letting herself in.

ut with incision. She had turned no

anyw

ng at him, but as she smiled she stepped b

y, more stupe

fe he had encountered myster

of her street, and of