Half turned from her, he shook his head. 'No, not money; that's all right now, thanks to Althea.'
'Well?' Helen questioned.
He faced her again, a little quizzical, a little confused and at a loss. 'I suppose it's Althea herself.'
'Oh!' said Helen. She said it with a perceptible, though very mild change of tone; but Gerald, in his preoccupation, did not notice the change.
'You've seen her several times since she came back?' he asked.
'Yes, twice; I lunched with her and these American friends of hers yesterday,' said Helen.
'Well, I've seen her three times,' said Gerald. 'I went to her, as you know, directly I got back to London on Saturday; I cut my visit at the Fanshawes two days shorter on purpose. I saw her on Sunday, and I'm just come from her now. No one could say that I didn't show her every attention, could they?' It hardly seemed a question, and Helen did not answer it. 'I don't think she's quite pleased with me,' Gerald then brought out.
Still silent, Helen looked at him thoughtfully, but her gaze gave him no clue.
'Can you imagine why not?' he asked.
She reflected, then she said that she couldn't.