"I am in favour of early marriages," said Philip, with his habitual air of affirming a theory in the hope of making himself believe in it.
"Yes, yes, yes—for the girl, certainly," said Charlie Hardinge.
Even without Cousin Charlie's tactful implication, it was evident that no one could suggest that Nicholas was making an early marriage.
"He isn't a widower, is he?" said Sylvia to Lily with an air of horrified apprehension.
"Oh no! How could you think so?" Lily was equally horrified.
"I thought he might be, as he's so old—and I must say I should hate to think of your doing anything like that!"
"So should I," said Lily with perfect sincerity. "I should want to be the only person that my—my husband had ever loved."
She was innocently consequential, and Janet Hardinge's scoffing laugh jarred on and surprised her.
"All that is stuff out of books. Nobody ever loves only one person, I don't believe. Not in a long life, anyway."
"Of course, one cares for a lot of people," said Sylvia indignantly, "but Lily and I mean the falling-in-love sort of love. I should hope she was the only girl he'd ever been in love with! I wouldn't marry a man unless I was."