She motioned him to a seat.
"Sit down, sweetheart, and let me sit on your knee, just as I used to."
"Yes, darling—just as we used to."
He took off his coat, threw it on the sofa and sat on a chair in front of the table. Virginia, with a cry of delight, jumped on his knee and threw her arm around his neck.
"Let me snuggle up to you in the way I love," she cried. "Hold me close—very, very close—and don't say a word—not even one."
Too happy to ask questions, he held her tight in his arms. In a low voice she murmured:
"I'm so tired, dear. I'm so tired—"
Fondly, tenderly, he caressed her.
"My poor little girl! Come, dear, the machine is outside. We'll go home at once."
"Not yet—please—I'm too happy. And it's you. It's really, really you."