“Do you know how long it was? Do you know how far away that big place was from everything in the world?” he had said once. “And me holding on and gritting my teeth? And not a soul to open my mouth to! The old duke was the only one who understood, anyhow. He'd been there.”
“I'll stay,” she answered now, standing before him as he sat down on the end of the “couch.” She put a firm, warm-palmed little hand on each side of his face, and held it between them as she looked deep into his eyes. “You look at me, Tem—and see.”
“I believe it now,” he said, “but I shan't in fifteen minutes.”
“We're both right-down silly,” she said, her soft, cosy laugh breaking out. “Look round this room and see what we've got to do. Let's begin this minute. Did you get the groceries?”
He sprang up and began to go over his packages triumphantly.
“Tea, coffee, sugar, pepper, salt, beefsteak,” he called out.
“We can't have beefsteak often,” she said, soberly, “if we're going to do it on fifteen a week.”
“Good Lord, no!” he gave back to her, hilariously. “But this is a Fifth Avenue feed.”
“Let's take them into the kitchen and put them into the cupboard, and untie the pots and pans.” She was suddenly quite absorbed and businesslike. “We must make the room tidy and tack down the carpet, and then cook the dinner.”
He followed her and obeyed her like an enraptured boy. The wonder of her was that, despite its unarranged air, the tiny place was already cleared and set for action. She had done it all before she had swept out the undiscovered corners. Everything was near the spot to which it belonged. There was nothing to move or drag out of the way.