“Oliver!”
“Er—yes,” said Oliver.
“I want to say—I merely want to say—whatever I think of you myself—I shan’t—I don’t want you—it doesn’t seem to me necessary—to bother Mrs. Cloud.”
“Certainly not!” said Oliver fervently.
There was a pause.
“Or—or anybody,” she added lamely.
“No—no.” He agreed with her.
Again they paused, relenting imperceptibly to each other in their mutual relief.
But Laura wanted to be quite sure.
“So that’s settled,” she said. And then, like a woman, “Oh, Oliver, why were you hateful?”