She smiled in silence; then she made a movement threatening her departure.
“Ah, wait a little while!” he pleaded. “It is delightful here in the sunshine. Don’t go for a minute or two. I wish——” he stopped.
“What is it you wish?” she asked, regarding him with smiling eyes that drooped under his ardent ones.
“Well,” he said, “I wish that you would let me go home with you and see Mr. Jeffrey——”
“Jeffrey Flint,” she said. She shook her head. “He sees no one, makes no acquaintances. He—he is very reserved.”
Speaking of him reminded her of the fact that he would strongly disapprove of her interview with this strange young gentleman. She rose.
“I must go now,” she said. “I have not asked whether you were hurt by your fall, Lord Neville, but I hope you were not.”
“Must you go?” he said, ignoring the rest of her sentence as of no account. “We seem to have been talking only a few minutes! And there was such a lot that I wanted to say! I wanted to tell you all that I thought when I saw you last night; but I couldn’t if I had the chance, because I am a perfect idiot when it comes to expressing myself. But I do think it was wonderful! Are you going to play to-night? But of course you are.”
“Yes,” she said, absently, “I play to-night. I play every night!”
“I shall be there,” he said, as if it were a matter of course.