In his fierce young loyalty to her he took for granted, without question or proof, that her escort had deserted her in revenge for her disdain.

He would willingly have gone back to fetch him up, but the impossibility of finding a man who did not wish to be found, the impossibility, as it seemed to him, of letting her go further alone, the boorishness of calling after her--all this constrained him to follow.

He ran to make his communication gently, and, as he ran, courage to make it failed him.

He thought of her as delicately accustomed to incessant protection.

At the thought of letting her know that she was telling her thoughts to a stranger, that she was alone at such hour and place with him, his throat swelled.