“Would not do what?”
“Well, follow buses from Russell Square to Hampstead.”
“I can assure you,” he answered, “that it isn’t a habit of mine. But seriously——”
“Well seriously?”
“Isn’t it your own fault a little? Why do you not tell me your address, and allow me to call upon you.”
“Why should I? I have told you that I do not wish for acquaintances in London.”
“Perhaps not in a general way,” he answered calmly. “You are quite right, I think. Only I am not an acquaintance at all. I am an old friend, and I declined to be shelved.”
“Would you mind telling me,” Anna asked, “how long I knew you in Paris?”
He looked at her sideways. There was nothing to be learned from her face.
“Well,” he said slowly, “I had met you three times—before Drummond’s dinner.”