Shall I show it to Mrs.Rook ?" "Yes--if she happens, by good luck, to offer you an opportunity." Impatient to try the experiment, Emily rose as he spoke.

"I mustn't keep Mrs.Rook waiting," she said.
Alban stopped her, on the point of leaving him.

The confusion and hesitation which she had already noticed began to show themselves in his manner once more.
"Miss Emily, may I ask you a favor before you go?
I am only one of the masters employed in the school; but I don't think--let me say, I hope I am not guilty of presumption--if I offer to be of some small service to one of my pupils--" There his embarrassment mastered him.

He despised himself not only for yielding to his own weakness, but for faltering like a fool in the expression of a simple request.

The next words died away on his lips.
This time, Emily understood him.
The subtle penetration which had long since led her to the discovery of his secret--overpowered, thus far, by the absorbing interest of the moment--now recovered its activity.