What was the matter with the young man?
His blood and senses seemed to quiver and tingle with a sensation at once delicious and confusing.

In the same instant, he had seized the soft, warm fingers in both his hands, and pressed them convulsively and almost fiercely.
Cornelia very naturally cried out, and sprang to her feet.

Bressant, it would seem not so naturally, did the same thing, and with the air of being to the full as much astonished and startled as she.
"What do you mean, sir?
how dare you-- ?" she said, paling after her first deep flush.
He looked at her, and then at his own hand, on which the accommodating mosquito was artistically flattened, and then at her again, with a slight, interrogative frown.
"How did it happen?
What was it?
I didn't mean it!" Cornelia was quite at a loss what to do or say under such extraordinary circumstances.

She felt short of breath and indignant; but she had never heard of a young man's questioning a lady as to how he had come to take a liberty with her.

As she stood thus confounded, her unfortunate perception of the ludicrous betrayed her once more; but this time her recent shock played a part in it, and came very near producing a bad fit of hysterics.