“About you?”
“About me.”
There was hunger in Hal’s voice—hunger in the way he listened for the answer.
“Not—not exactly. But she liked you immensely. She really did, Hal. She looked forward most awfully to your coming.”
“Any child would have done that when a man brought her presents. Then she didn’t say she loved me? No, she wouldn’t say that.”
Hal spoke bitterly. Teddy felt that Desire was being accused and sprang to her defense. “I don’t see how you could expect her to love you after what you had done.” The man looked up sharply. “After what I had done! D’you mean kidnaping her, or something further back?”
“I mean taking her away from her mother.”
Hal laughed gloomily. “No, as you say, a person with no claims on her couldn’t expect her to love him after that.”
Sinking his head forward, he relapsed into silence and sat staring at the seat opposite. When the train was galloping through the outskirts of London, he spoke again.
“I’ve dragged you into something that you don’t understand. Don’t try to understand it; but there’s something I want to say to you. If ever you’re tempted to do wrong, remember me. If ever you’re tempted to get love the wrong way, be strong enough to do without it. It isn’t worth having. You have to lie and cheat to get it at first, and you have to lie and cheat to keep some of it when it’s ended.” He turned his face away, speaking shamefully and hurriedly. “I sinned once, a long while ago—I don’t know whether you’ve guessed. I’m still paying for it. You’re paying for it. One day that little girl may have to pay the biggest price of any of us. I was trying to save her from that.”