"Rather."
"You never said so the other night."
"Didn't I?"
"I suppose, if she comes to Southampton, you'll go to meet her. May I come with you?"
"Good heavens, yes. Why shouldn't you?"
"Oh, I don't know. I thought, perhaps, you'd rather...."
I whistled to Nobby, whose disregard of traffic was occasionally conducive to heart failure. As he came cantering up—
"Adèle isn't my property," I said.
"I know, but...."
"But what?"