The Nun's matter-of-fact way of speaking may have contributed to the effect, but in the end the effect of what she said was to give the impression that she regarded Harry Belfield's present passion as one of a series—far from the first, not at all likely to be the last. The inflection of tone with which she had exclaimed "Four months!" implied that it was a very long while to wait.
"You'd understand it better if you saw them together," said Andy, eager, as always, to champion his friend.
"You're very enthusiastic about her, anyhow," smiled the Nun. "It almost sounds as if you were a little in love with her yourself."
"Such a thing never occurred to me." Then he laughed, for the Nun was laughing at him. "Well, she would make every man want to—well, sort of want to take care of her, you know."
"Well, there's no harm in your doing that—in moderation; and she may come to want it. Have you ever been in love yourself?"
"Yes, once," he confessed; "a long while ago, just before I left South Africa."
"Got over it?" she inquired anxiously.
"Yes, of course I have, long ago. It wasn't very fatal."
"Fickle creature!"
Andy gave one of his bursts of hearty laughter to hear himself thus described.