He uttered an uneasy exclamation. �She didn�t believe you, you mean?�
�I mean that she did believe me: too thoroughly.�
�Well, then—in God�s name, what did she want?�
�Something more—those were the words she used.�
�Something more? Between—between you and me? Is it a conundrum?� He laughed awkwardly.
�Girls are not what they were in my day; they are no longer forbidden to contemplate the relation of the sexes.�
�So it seems!� he commented. �But since, in this case, there wasn�t any—� he broke off, catching the dawn of a revelation in her gaze.
�That�s just it. The unpardonable offence has been—in our not offending.�
He flung himself down despairingly. �I give it up!—What did you tell her?� he burst out with sudden crudeness.
�The exact truth. If I had only known,� she broke off with a beseeching tenderness, �won�t you believe that I would still have lied for you?�