Colin gave a little shudder.
“I should hate you if you did,” he said. “Don’t make me do that.”
That certainly was not part of Pamela’s plan.
“I promise that you shan’t for that reason,” she said. “But we won’t talk about me.... Oh, Colin, I hate your being unhappy. What can be done, my dear? You’ve got so much, too: you’ve got so many people who are devoted to you.”
He looked at her with eyes brilliant and wistful.
“Have I?” he said. “I don’t feel as if I had. People are friendly, I know, but I am only one in a crowd to them. They come down here in shoals in the autumn—next time you come, you shall really have some more amusing people to meet.”
She interrupted him.
“No, don’t do that,” she said. “The shoals of amusing people aren’t anything to me.”
“Ah, that’s nice of you,” said Colin.
They stood there a moment in silence: then he turned quickly to the house.