"Maybe not," Jake's tone was faintly grim. It indicated that he had no intention of arguing the matter further.
Maud abandoned it and they mounted the stairs together in silence. At the door of her room she turned without words and put her arms around his neck.
He held her closely still supporting her. "Shall I come and put you to bed, my girl?"
She answered him softly. "No, darling, no! Don't be late yourself, that's all! And—Jake—thank you for all your goodness to me!"
"Oh, shucks—shucks!" he said.
She raised her hands, holding the bronze head between them, gazing straight into the free, dominant eyes with all her soul laid open to their look. "There is no one like you in all the world," she said. "You are greater than kings."
"That's just your way of putting it," said Jake. "You're not exactly an impartial judge, I reckon. Barring the fact that I'm your mate, I'm a very ordinary sinner. Moreover, Saltash tells me I'm getting fat."
"How dare he?" said Maud.
He laughed in her indignant face. "Now I'm getting my own back! There! Don't get excited! No doubt he meant well! And I certainly ride heavier than I did. Shall you love me when I'm fat, Maud?"
She drew the laughing, sunburnt face to hers. "Don't be—absurd!" she said.