“If I were old, Peter, you wouldn’t come to see me so often. One day, though I try to fight it off, one day I shall be old.” At the gate, in the wistful twilight, she lifted up her face. “If I were to ask you to kiss me, would you?”
“I think I would.”
But she didn’t ask him.
A strange summer made up of waiting, visits to Kew and interludes of work! In those interludes he studied hard, putting the finishing touches to his preparation for Oxford. The first question he always asked the golden woman—asked her breathlessly—was, “Is there any news of her?” The answer was always the same—a negative. Sometimes she would read him portions of letters which she had received from the Faun Man. There was never any mention of Cherry. He grew sick at heart with waiting. The golden woman alone shared his secret; he could not bring himself to speak of it at home.
His holiday was short that year—three weeks in Surrey. On his return Glory came to stay at Topbury. How she had escaped his memory! He was a little surprised by her quiet beauty; his surprise wore off as he got used to her. She laid so little emphasis on herself. People were only aware that she had been there when she had gone—an atmosphere of kindness was lacking. Then they looked up, were puzzled and remembered, “Oh yes, Glory. Where’s she vanished? Thought she was here.” She only once penetrated into Peter’s world—then only for a few hours. A boy in love can think only of one woman.
That once occurred on a rainy morning, in the study which had been his nursery. He had just sat down and had his nose in his books. Someone touched him.
“Peter, you don’t mind, do you? If you’re busy now, I’ll come again later.”
He looked up, his head between his hands, his hair all ruffled. “Sorry. Didn’t see that you were there. Anything you want me to do?”
The sensitive face flushed. He noticed that. The white hands fluttered against her breast. “You know about father.” Her voice was timid. It strove and sank like a spent bird. “Nobody’s told me. So, Peter, I came to you.”
“That’s a shame. He used to be our secret. What d’you want to know about him, Glory?”