“It sounds lovely,” she said when he had finished; “but you don’t seem very enthusiastic over it yourself.”
“That’s not my way, dear. Mrs. Shelf has been telling me what a very dull young man I am, and suggested that I should commence improving matters by going up and insulting my hostess. I’m afraid I haven’t done it. To begin with, I couldn’t; and to go on with, she’d squash me out of existence with a look, if I made the attempt. You see, Amy, I know my limitations; I’m a tolerably heavy person, with limited powers of speech, and a subdued sense of humor.”
“You might be brighter, that’s a fact,” Miss Rivers admitted candidly.
“If you are tired of me, dear——”
Miss Rivers craned her neck down the line of the banisters, to make sure that no one was looking, and then drew Fairfax to her, and gave him a kiss.
“Don’t be a great goose!” she said. “Only don’t think that I am going to agree with you in everything. That would be far too dull and copy-booky. And don’t think I imagine you perfect. I should hate you most cordially if you were.”
“What are my faults?”
“Do you think I could tell you the whole list in a single evening? No, sir. Some day, when I am more than usually annoyed with you, I will begin early and read out a chapter of them. Till then, I’ll bear with the lot. Tell me some more about this place in Kent.”
“I have told you all I know. If you like the idea, we might run down to-morrow and see it ourselves, before we finally decide on the purchase. The only thing is about the price. You know I’m a tolerably well-off man, dear, but there are limits to my capital, and most of it is well locked up. Of course this place has to be paid for in cash, which is the reason for its going so cheap.”
“Well?”