"
The inward rush of hungry guests swept them all forward in laughing,
jostling confusion; but Naida's cheeks burned with indignation.
CHAPTER VIII
THE REAPPEARANCE OF AN OLD FRIEND
After supper the Lieutenant and Naida danced twice together, the young
girl's mood having apparently changed to one of buoyant, careless
happiness, her dark eyes smiling, her lips uttering freely whatever
thought came uppermost. Outwardly she pictured the gay and merry
spirit of the night, yet to Brant, already observing her with the
jealousy of a lover, she appeared distrait and restless, her
affectation of abandon a mere mask to her true feelings. There was a
peculiar watchfulness in her glances about the crowded room, while her
flushed cheeks, and the distinctly false note in her laughter, began to
trouble him not a little. Perhaps these things might have passed
unnoted but for their contrast with the late confidential chat.
He could not reconcile this sudden change with what he believed of her.
It was not carried out with the practised art of one accustomed to
deceit. There must be something real influencing her action.
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