And the awakening was only a half-convinced happiness mingled with shy surprise that the wise world should really deem her so lovely.
"A red-headed girl," she said teasingly; "I thought you had better taste than--than--" "Than to think you a raving beauty ?" "Oh," she said, "you don't think that!" As a matter of fact he himself had become aware of it so suddenly that he had no time to think very much about it.

It was rather strange, too, that he had not always been aware of it; or was it partly the mellow light from the lamp tinting her till she glowed and shimmered like a young sorceress, sitting so straight there in her turquoise silk and misty lace?
Delicate luminous shadow banded her eyes; her hair, partly in shadow, too, became a sombre mystery in rose-gold.
"Whatever _are_ you staring at ?" she laughed.

"Me?
I don't believe it! Never have you so honoured me with your fixed attention, Captain Selwyn.
You really glare at me as though I were interesting.

And I know you don't consider me that; do you ?" "How old are you, anyway ?" he asked curiously.
"Thank you, I'll be delighted to inform you when I'm twenty." "You look like a mixture of fifteen and twenty-five to-night," he said deliberately; "and the answer is more and less than nineteen." "And you," she said, "talk like a frivolous sage, and your wisdom is as weighty as the years you carry.

And what is the answer to that?
Do you know, Captain Selwyn, that when you talk to me this way you look about as inexperienced as Gerald ?" "And do _you_ know," he said, "that I feel as inexperienced--when I talk to you this way ?" She nodded.