It touched him, and it was on the point of
passing; then it suddenly checked itself; she had recognized him. She
looked at him, straight and open-eyed, out of the shadow of her parasol,
and Bernard stood there--motionless now--receiving her gaze. How long it
lasted need not be narrated. It was probably a matter of a few seconds,
but to Bernard it seemed a little eternity. He met her eyes, he looked
straight into her face; now that she had seen him he could do nothing
else. Bernard's little eternity, however, came to an end; Miss Vivian
dropped her eyes upon her book again. She let them rest upon it only a
moment; then she closed it and slowly rose from her chair, turning
away from Bernard. He still stood looking at her--stupidly, foolishly,
helplessly enough, as it seemed to him; no sign of recognition had been
exchanged. Angela Vivian hesitated a minute; she now had her back turned
to him, and he fancied her light, flexible figure was agitated by her
indecision. She looked along the sunny beach which stretched its shallow
curve to where the little bay ended and the white wall of the cliffs
began. She looked down toward the sea, and up toward the little Casino
which was perched on a low embankment, communicating with the beach at
two or three points by a short flight of steps.
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