"My dearest!" she said. "You will never forget the first kiss given you by the man who loves you. Oh, what a jolt!"
The jolt decided her, and she called to Denton not to go quite so fast. Then she pressed Edith's hand again.
"Tell me more, dear," she said. "Had you expected it at all?"
Edith looked at her with complete candour.
"Oh, yes!" she said. "And that is why it seemed so natural when it came."
The faintest flush glowed on her face.
"But I never liked him so much before as when he kissed me," she said. "It did not make me feel at all awkward. I used to think that if such a thing ever happened to me I should not know which way to look. But it all seemed quite natural. Our tastes agree in so many things, too—music and croquet and so on. That is a good thing, is it not?"
Mrs. Hancock beamed again.
"My dear, of course," she said. "Community of taste is half the"—battle, she was going to say—"half the strength and joy of marriage. Oh, here we are in Slough already. Turn to the right, Denton, and go through Burnham Beeches. Yes, what games of croquet you will have, and what music. I will get a gate made in the paling between his garden and ours, so that there will be no need to go round by the front door and ring the bell. I dare say Ellis could do it, or even if I had to get a carpenter it would be but a trifle anyhow, and I certainly shall not permit Edward to pay half of it, however much he may insist. Bless you, my darling! I feel so happy and contented about it. Look, there is a Great Western express. What a pace they go!"
Edith usually gave excellent attention to the various bright objects which continually caught and pleased her mother's eye. But to-day she wandered, or rather, did not wander.