Then he walked away, holding up his head; and the manner in which he
achieved this sacrifice to expediency convinced Isabel he was very
much in love.
Pansy, who seldom got disarranged in dancing, looking perfectly
fresh and cool after this exercise, waited a moment and then took back
her bouquet. Isabel watched her and saw she was counting the
flowers; whereupon she said to herself that decidedly there were
deeper forces at play than she had recognized. Pansy had seen Rosier
turn away, but she said nothing to Isabel about him; she talked only
of her partner, after he had made his bow and retired; of the music,
the floor, the rare misfortune of having already torn her dress.
Isabel was sure, however, she had discovered her lover to have
abstracted a flower; though this knowledge was not needed to account
for the dutiful grace with which she responded to the appeal of her
next partner. That perfect amenity under acute constraint was part
of a larger system. She was again led forth by a flushed young man,
this time carrying her bouquet; and she had not been absent many
minutes when Isabel saw Lord Warburton advancing through the crowd.
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