She sank back into her chair with a movement almost of discouragement. She said:
"He's gone into the hotel. . . ."
Perowne lurched agitatedly forward in his chair. He exclaimed that he was going. Then he sank discouragedly back again:
"No, I'm not," he said, "I'm probably much safer here. I might run against him going out."
"You've realized that my petticoats protect you," Sylvia said contemptuously. "Of course, Christopher would never hit anyone in my presence."
Major Perowne was interrupting her by asking:
"What's he going to do? What's he doing in the hotel?"
Mrs. Tietjens said:
"Guess!" She added: "What would you do in similar circumstances?"
"Go and wreck your bedroom," Perowne answered with promptitude. "It's what I did when I found you had left Yssingueux."