“It’s not his love that I’m afraid of,” she said hurriedly, for at this moment we heard the dip of a paddle in the water, “it’s something in his very soul that terrifies me in a way I have never been terrified before⁠—yet fascinates me. In town I was hardly conscious of his presence. But the moment we got away from civilisation, it began to come. He seems so⁠—so real up here. I dread being alone with him. It makes me feel that something must burst and tear its way out⁠—that he would do something⁠—or I should do something⁠—I don’t know exactly what I mean, probably⁠—but that I should let myself go and scream⁠—”

“Joan!”

“Don’t be alarmed,” she laughed shortly; “I shan’t do anything silly, but I wanted to tell you my feelings in case I needed your help. When I have intuitions as strong as this they are never wrong, only I don’t know yet what it means exactly.”