iii
“Well, I’m not going to give up the idea for that,” Keith resumed, after a moment. Jenny shook her head, and a wry smile stole into her face, making it appear thinner than before.
“I didn’t expect you would,” she said quietly. “It’s me that has to give it up.”
“Jenny!” He was astonished by her tone. “D’you think I meant that? Never! We’ll manage something. Something can be done. When I come back ...”
“Ah, you’re going away!” Jenny cried in agony. “I shan’t see you. I shall have every day to think of ... day after day. And you won’t write. And I shan’t see you....” She held him to her, her breast against his, desperate with the dread of being separated from him. “It’s easy for you, at sea, with the wind and the sun; and something fresh to see, and something happening all the time. But me—in a dark room, poring over bits of straw and velvet to make hats for soppy women, and then going home to old Em and stew for dinner. There’s not much fun in it, Keith.... No, I didn’t mean to worry you by grizzling. It’s too bad of me! But seeing you, and hearing that plan, it’s made me remember how beastly I felt before your letter came this evening. I was nearly mad with it. I’d been mad before; but never as bad as this was. And then your letter came—and I wanted to come to you; and I came, and we’ve wasted such a lot of time not understanding each other. Even now, I can’t be sure you love me—not sure! I think you do; but you only say so. How’s anyone ever to be sure, unless they know it in their bones? And I’ve been thinking about you every minute since we met. Because I never met anybody like you, or loved anybody before...”
She broke off, her voice trembling, her face against his, breathless and exhausted.
iv
“Now listen, Jenny,” said Keith. “This is this. I love you, and you love me. That’s right, isn’t it? Well. I don’t care about marriage—I mean, a ceremony; but you do. So we’ll be married when I come back in three months. That’s all right, isn’t it? And when we’re married, we’ll either take your father with us, whatever his health’s like; or we’ll do something with him that’ll do as well. I should be ready to put him in somebody’s care; but you wouldn’t like that...”
“I love him,” Jenny said. “I couldn’t leave him to somebody else for ever.”
“Yes. Well, you see there’s nothing to be miserable about. It’s all straightforward now. Nothing—except that we’re going to be apart for three months. Now, Jen: don’t let’s waste any more time being miserable; but let’s sit down and be happy for a bit...How’s that?”