“You—you played here,” he said. All day he had been white and silent “I’m sorry, but we really must be going now, old chap.”
On the stairs, where it was dark, he laid an arm on the boy’s shoulder.
“You got to be very fond of her? We were both fond of her and—and we’ve both lost her. I think I understand.”
CHAPTER XXII—THE FEAR OF KNOWLEDGE
The journey back to London was like the waking moments of a dream. He gazed out of the carriage window. He couldn’t bear to look at Hal; his eyes seemed dead, as though all the mind behind them was full of darkened passages. It wasn’t easy to be brave just now, so he turned his face away from him.
“Teddy.” There was no one in the carriage but themselves. “Did she ever say anything about me?”
“She said that you were fond of her.”
“Ah, yes, but I don’t mean that. Did she ever say how she felt herself?”