They made awkward, conventional phrases to one another.
"Naturally," the boy said with an effort, "the whole blame must rest with me."
"Oh, no, I'll tell father and mother that I wanted to—to—break it off."
Alex stopped, conscious that she could not think of anything else to say.
But rather to her surprise, it appeared that Noel had something else to say.
He faced her with hands thrust into his pockets, his hair and little, fair moustache and his brown eyes looking very light indeed contrasted with his flushed face.
"Of course, you're absolutely free, as I said, only I must say, Alex, that you're making rather a mistake. Every one was awfully pleased about it, and we've known each other since we were kids—since you were a kid, at any rate—and a broken engagement—well, of course, I don't want to say anything, naturally, but it does put a girl in a—a—well, in what's called rather an invidious position. Especially when it isn't as though there was any particular reason for it."
"The principal reason—" Alex began faintly, not altogether certain of what it was that she was about to say.
"You see, I always thought we should hit it off together so well. We always did as kids—when you were a kid, I mean," Noel explained. "We always seemed to like the same things, and have a good deal in common."
"I don't think that you liked any of the things I cared about especially," Alex said, with a flash of spirit.