At the best of times his face has not a gentle expression; but when it was screwed up like that it was almost diabolical.

It frightened poor Lilla so that she trembled, and after a bit got so pale that I thought she had fainted.

However, she held up and tried to stare back, but in a feeble kind of way.

Then Mimi came close and held her hand.

That braced her up, and--still, never ceasing her return stare--she got colour again and seemed more like herself." "Did he stare too ?" "More than ever.