“What are they?” Stella asked. “The opposite of illegitimate?”
Michael explained the difference, and he was glad that the word ‘illegitimate’ should first occur like this. The pain of its utterance seemed mitigated somehow by the explanation.
“It’s an extraordinary thing,” Michael began, “but, do you know, Stella, that all the agony of seeing Lily flirting seems to have died away, and I feel a sort of contempt ... for myself, I mean. Flirting sounds such a loathsome word after what we’ve just listened to. Alan was right, I believe. I shall have to tell Alan about all this. I wonder if it will make any difference to him. But of course it won’t. Nothing makes any difference to Alan.”
“It’s about time I met him,” said Stella.
“Why, haven’t you?” Michael exclaimed. “Nor you have. Great Scott! I’ve been so desperately miserable over Lily that I’ve never asked Alan here once. Oh, I will, though.”
“I say, oughtn’t we to go up to mother?” said Stella.
“Would she like us to?” Michael wondered.
“Oh, yes, I’m sure she would.”
“But I can’t express what I feel,” Michael complained. “And it will be absurd to go and stand in front of her like two dummies.”
“I’ll say something,” Stella promised; and, “Mother,” she said, “come and hear me play to you.”