Her voice sounded a little weary, her face, too, underneath the rouge, looked tired.
“I’d like to call on you to-morrow, if I may,” he said, and paused expectantly.
She hesitated, regarding him with vague suspicion in her eyes. Then she mentioned the boarding establishment at which they were staying, and gave a reluctant permission. It was not a fashionable hostelry; presumably the “Exotics” were not flourishing in respect to funds.
“We might go for a drive,” he suggested, “if you care about it.”
She acquiesced, but without enthusiasm. It occurred to Dare that her manner was a little distrustful. He smiled encouragingly.
“That’s kind of you,” he observed. “I’m at loose ends in this place. Then I’ll be round about three, if that suits.”
He did not feel quite satisfied when he parted from her that she would keep the engagement; but on the following afternoon when he motored up to the house, she came out dressed for the drive and met him at the gate. He was aware, as he helped her into the car, of several curious faces watching them from the doorway and behind the dingy curtains of the front room windows. The “Exotics” were frankly interested in the proceeding, and watched the car and its occupants with eager, envious eyes until they were out of sight.
“I am glad you are giving up this life,” Dare remarked to his silent companion, as they spun along in the sunshine with the light wind in their faces. “It’s all very well in its way, I don’t doubt; but it’s just a trifle sordid, isn’t it?”
“What is one to do?” she asked. “One must live. There isn’t a wide choice for women, as you know.”
“That’s true,” he acknowledged, and was silent for a moment. “Why did you give up teaching?” he asked abruptly.