“Don’t you understand, Felix?... Before, when they first knew each other, she would gladly have married him—but he wouldn’t ask her. He wanted her to be a ‘free-woman.’ And now that she’s ready to be, he insists on ‘protecting’ her with a marriage. Can’t you see? he wants her to admit that she’s not in earnest, that she’s afraid.... And she won’t. I quite agree with her!”
“But what a fuss over nothing,” said Felix.
“Over nothing? Aren’t ideas anything? Isn’t pride anything?”
“Not in comparison with happiness. They’ve been making each other miserable for two years with their ideas, and their silly pride. The important thing is to get them—yes, damn it!—into the same bed together!”
Rose-Ann laughed. “They’ve tried even that, Felix! and it did no good.”
“What!”
“No—they spent the night arguing about whether they really loved each other!”
Felix groaned. “I never heard of such a crazy pair in my life!”
“Yes, it was utterly ridiculous,” Rose-Ann agreed. “Phyllis told Clive she was perfectly willing, for the sake of companionship, to become his mistress—but he wouldn’t have her on those terms. He wanted her to say she loved him.”
“I can’t exactly blame him for asking that,” said Felix. “Why shouldn’t she say it?—it was true!”