Then, with a stifled cry, he caught her to him.

For a moment she lay, palpitant, within his arms, her tall, bronze head on a level with his chin, her heart beating against his heart.

Stooping suddenly, he kissed her on the lips.

She suffered it with an unresistance that invited.

But when it was done, she gently put him from her; and he, obedient to her slightest wish, curbed the wild ardour of his mood, and set her free.
"Anima mia!" he cried rapturously.