Clearly, his great mistake had turned from ashes into fruit.

"Lali!" he said, and held out his hand.
She reached out hers courteously, but her fingers gave him no response.
"We have many things to say to each other," she said, "but they cannot be said now.

I shall be missed from the ballroom." "Missed from the ballroom!" He almost laughed to think how strange this sounded in his ears.

As if interpreting his thought, she added: "You see, it is our last affair of the season, and we are all anxious to do our duty perfectly.

Will you go down with me?
We can talk afterwards." Her continued self-possession utterly confused him.