“He never kissed me,” said Deb in a very low voice.
“I said he took your lips for granted—and the possibility of them. His decision is beside the point. Deb, how I wish you wouldn’t!”
After a pause the other girl said, “I won’t ask ‘what?’ because I suppose I know.... And I agree with you. We ought to save it all up for the one man——”
“No, no, no. That’s merely commercial. To keep one’s market value uncorrupted.... Manon llorraine’s standards. Horrid little ingénue. She reckoned every look thrown to that poor begging man Carew as so much profitless waste of virgin stock.”
“I must say, you took in rather a lot, that one hectic evening at Montagu Hall.”
Antonia rushed on: “Not to save all up for the one man—but ... isn’t maidenhood in itself rather a splendid thing? I wish that didn’t sound so affected. This isn’t the Suffrage standard. I don’t hate the other sex—not a bit. I like them. But ... just to be proud, and not slovenly.”
“You think I’m slovenly?”
“I’ve never seen you for more than a minute in male company. But I fancy, if I had, I should have wanted to cry out every minute: ‘don’t—oh don’t!’”
“As bad as that?” lightly Deb had to feign amusement, for her Artemis girl was flicking her well on the raw. She remembered how she had experienced just that desire to cry out “don’t” when Jenny——
So she stood half-way between Antonia and Jenny. But Jenny had been married—and Antonia said “isn’t maidenhood in itself rather a splendid thing?”