Finding him responsive, she deliberately set herself to please
him. She studied him covertly and set her moods to match his--not
a difficult task, since he was merely a normal, healthy young man.
Always faultless in her attire, she took even more than ordinary
pains with her appearance, and it was not long before Kirk was
naively surprised to find that she no longer seemed older than he
--that she was, in fact, an exceedingly handsome woman. This
gradual metamorphosis depended more than anything else, perhaps,
upon the girlish humor that now possessed her. She was no longer
brilliant and chilly, but gay, smiling, and unaffected.
Daytimes, they rambled about the crooked streets, bargain-hunting
in the Chinese shops, or drove beneath the stately royal palms of
Ancon; evenings, they loitered about the cool verandas of the
Tivoli or strolled down into the town to watch the crowds in the
plazas. Once in a while Cortlandt went with them, but he was
usually uncommunicative, and they scarcely felt his presence. On
the few occasions when he gave himself rein, Kirk was compelled to
feel for him a surprised and half-grudging respect. Unlike most
silent men, when he did talk he talked easily and well.
Several days passed thus, during which Anthony fully recovered
from his experience at Colon.
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