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.'I don't know why you should say such a thing.' Her voice was low, her lovely eyes limpid as they looked into his.A tense moment ensued, with Carl's gaze seeming to be both critical and thoughtful.Sara, her eyes fixed on his face, waited for him to speak, aware that she was hoping his touch of ill-humour had gone.'Are you sure you want to go back?' he queried at last, and she instantly shook her head, because his voice had lost that crispness, and because those amber eyes were no longer tinged with hardness.'Not really,' she answered.'It's so very pleasant here.''Contrary wench,' was Carl's surprising response.'What is it that makes the female mind so perverse?'She had to laugh.'Are you trying to analyse me?' she asked, a quiver on her lips.'So Mother's been busy, eh?' Carl's own mouth twitched with amusement.'I did warn you.I expect she's read your character and you've never noticed her subtle cleverness.''I did, as a matter of fact,' returned Sara with honesty.'But I couldn't do anything about it.I'd already answered her questions before I remembered to be careful.' 'So you intended to be careful?''After your telling me she'd analyse me I naturally resolved to be careful.'Carl's gaze became penetrating.'I wonder what she learned about you.I must ask her.''I feel that she has formed a rather more favourable impression of me than you have,' she returned, faintly surprised that she had been bold enough to utter words such as those.Carl's straight dark brows lifted a fraction.'How do you know what kind of impression I've formed of you?' he demanded abruptly.She almost wished it were possible to tell him that his words to his mother had been overheard, and that she knew full well what kind of impression he had formed of her.But she refrained, naturally.In any case, she had no desire to spoil this most pleasant interlude, to destroy the contentment she was enjoying for the first time since coming out to Africa.'Perhaps,' she said, contriving a smile, 'I've sensed that your opinion of me isn't very high.'An awkward moment followed; Sara wondered if she had embarrassed him.But his manner remained cool as he said, 'And perhaps, Sara, your senses lead to the wrong conclusions.'She looked at him, startled.'You're telling me that I'm wrong in believing that your opinion of me is low?' He would be lying were he to say yes, she was wrong in believing his opinion of her was low.'My opinion of you,' he replied with studied deliberation, 'is exceedingly high.''High?' She stared blankly at him, as well she might, with his words about her giving Irma a raw deal ringing in her ears.'I don't believe you, Mr van der Linden !''You——— !' It was Carl's turn to be startled.'Well, that's forthright enough! So I'm a liar, am I?' He seemed angry but was suppressing his feelings admirably.Sara suspected that no one had ever called him a liar in his life before.'Mr van der Linden,' she said earnestly, 'I happen to know without any doubt at all that your opinion of me is low.Don't ask me how I know, because I can't tell you.It's enough to say that I've had proof ''Proof?' he snapped.'When?''Today.' Sara felt she was gradually getting herself into a trap of her own making.'But I've no intention of going into details, so please let the matter drop.' Her voice had fallen into a pleading note.She fervently wished she could take back the words that had led to this situation.'You ask me to allow a thing like this to drop?' Carl looked at her with incredulity not unmingled with arrogance.'No, my girl! You'll explain yourself—and at once!'Sara went hot at the thought of having to confess that she had listened, and for a moment she contemplated defying him.But a covert glance at his stern implacable countenance convinced her that he was determined to have an explanation from her and— as he had said—at once.She swallowed, aware that his eyes were dark with anger but bewildered also.Obviously he had no idea at all what form her explanation was going to take.She heaved a sigh of resignation, becoming hotter still as she told him, in a quiet, self- deprecating tone, that she had overheard him telling his mother that Irma had had a raw deal from her sister.'So you's-see,' she added, avoiding his dark scrutiny, 'I have had the proof I mentioned.'Silence, deep and profound.A breeze came in from the sea, fanning Sara's burning cheeks and tousling her hair.The silence continued and her nerves began to stretch.She lifted her head and looked into eyes so hard and stern that she instantly glanced away again.She began to fumble with a handful of golden sand, letting it trickle through her fingers.At last he spoke, and to her great astonishment his voice was kinder and more human than she had ever heard it before.'I must congratulate you, Sara, on your superb control.Any other woman would have had to come out with it and tell me what she thought about me.You, though, kept it to yourself.For my mother's sake, I assume?'Sara nodded, her eyes wide and questioning.'Aren't you contemptuous, because I listened?'The amber eyes held the trace of a smile in their depths.'I'm glad you did, in a way.It means that some plain speaking can now be done.However, the first thing is to inform you, little Miss Clever, that if you must listen, then make sure you put the correct interpretation on what you hear.It's obvious that you missed a word or two of what I was saying.And those words altered the sense.You've just said that you heard me say that in my opinion Irma's getting a raw deal from you.''Yes, that's exactly what you did say,' returned Sara defensively, but Carl was shaking his head even before she had finished speaking.'What I said was: "In the beginning it was my opinion that Irma was getting a raw deal from her sister," and after that I added that it was now my opinion that Irma was fortunate in having you to take care of her.'Sara could only stare, going over in her mind what Carl had just said.'I—I didn't hear aright, did I?' she faltered at last.'No, my dear, you didn't.''I'm sorry—er—I ought not to have been so hasty in coming to a conclusion.''No,' he agreed, 'you ought not.'Sara swallowed saliva collecting on her tongue; she looked at him across the small expanse of sand that separated them.She might not have heard aright before, but she had certainly heard aright now… when he had said, 'my dear'.She had also heard aright when he told her that his opinion of her was exceedingly high… He had spoken the truth, too, but she had all but called him a liar.'I don't know what to say
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