“Ought I not to be concerned for the safety of so welcome a guest?”
“What extraordinary creatures you women are—and you especially. Now if you were a man——”
“Would God that I were!” she interposed vehemently.
“You and I would just sit down and talk over the whole mess, as two friends should, and try to hit on the easiest and best way out of it.”
“Friends!” she cried; but I took no notice of the interruption.
“And when we had hit on the solution we should try to work together to carry it out. But instead of that, here you are flying into a passion just because I ask you what you mean to do; and then you insult me for no reason that I can see or understand, except that I haven’t run away like a coward, unless it is that there’s nobody else around whom you can treat in the same way with impunity.”
“Am I to throw myself on my knees in gratitude to every one who chooses to force the offer of his help upon me?”
“If it does you any good to say this kind of thing to me by all means go on. Only try to concentrate them into a few pithy and bitter sentences and get them over. I can only say they don’t hurt me in the least except that I know you’ll be horribly sorry for them after.”
“I am serious when I say I wish you to leave here.”
“I wish you’d try a cigarette,” and I lit a cigar.