He started again, hesitated when he felt the force, turned back. "I've
heard of magnetic women," he said with restraint. "I never believed in
it. But now--" He gestured vaguely. "Please turn off your charms."
She lowered her eyes. "I thought it was you. I've been drawn to you
from the first and I thought you'd suddenly become irresistible. Do you
mean you feel it too?"
He nodded. "I've read about magnetic women in the best books. Now, dash
it, turn it off! I'm getting tired of hanging around here."
"It's you," she insisted. "You turn it off."
He shook his head. "I'm plain as an old shoe. Everybody knows. But you!
One look at you and anybody'd know you've got this magnetism. That's
why I had to be so brutal. It was the only way I could resist and keep
my woman-hating integrity. I can feel your magnetism now. It's getting
stronger."
"And I feel yours. It's pulling me right into your arms."
"Stay back. I can't stand much more. I'm a confirmed misogynist, and if
you keep on I'll have to go against my principles, and that wouldn't be
honest."
"I can't help it," she murmured from two feet away. "I can't resist
you."
Kerran puzzled briefly. "Maybe that's it. I remember when I was
overseas. But no! All they wanted was chewing gum and cigarets. Still,
you never can tell. Maybe it came on me suddenly. Maybe looking at you
sort of triggered my magnetism."
She smiled. "If you'll quit looking at me maybe we can stop it. Look
the other way and I'll try to stop thinking about you because you do
something to me."