A Modern Instance

She stopped. Bartley looked at her a moment, and then caught her to him and fell a-laughing over her, till it seemed as if he never would end. And you thought–you thought, he cried, trying to get his breath,– you thought you were Eily, and I was Hardress Cregan! Oh, I see, I see! He went on making a mock and a burlesque of her tragical hallucination till she laughed with him at last. When he put his hand up to turn out the gas, he began his joking afresh. The real thing for Hardress to do, he said, fumbling for the key, is to blow it out.