But he had always been shy except once when he had been bold, and that had caused a quarrel.

With a strange pain at her breast Lucy wondered why Slone had not spoken that way before?
It made as great a change in her as if she had been born again.

It released something.

A bolt shot back in her heart.

She knew she was quivering like a leaf, with no power to control her muscles.
She knew if she looked up then Slone might see the depths of her soul.
Even with her hands shutting out the light she thought the desert around had changed and become all mellow gold and blue and white, radiant as the moonlight of dreams--and that the monuments soared above them grandly, and were beautiful and noble, like the revelations of love and joy to her.