Page 480 - sons-and-lovers

stood before Clara, pleased with herself, saying:
‘I don’t know whether—-’ and holding the flowers for-
ward in her old hand.
‘Oh, how pretty!’ cried Clara, accepting the flowers.
‘Shall she have them all?’ asked Paul reproachfully of the
old woman.
‘Yes, she shall have them all,’ she replied, beaming with
joy. ‘You have got enough for your share.’
‘Ah, but I shall ask her to give me one!’ he teased.
‘Then she does as she pleases,’ said the old lady, smiling.
And she bobbed a little curtsey of delight.
Clara was rather quiet and uncomfortable. As they
walked along, he said:
‘You don’t feel criminal, do you?’
She looked at him with startled grey eyes.
‘Criminal!’ she said. ‘No.’
‘But you seem to feel you have done a wrong?’
‘No,’ she said. ‘I only think, ‘If they knew!’’
‘If they knew, they’d cease to understand. As it is, they
do understand, and they like it. What do they matter? Here,
with only the trees and me, you don’t feel not the least bit
wrong, do you?’
He took her by the arm, held her facing him, holding her
eyes with his. Something fretted him.
‘Not sinners, are we?’ he said, with an uneasy little
frown.
‘No,’ she replied.
He kissed her, laughing.
‘You like your little bit of guiltiness, I believe,’ he said. ‘I