"He—he kissed you?" he snapped savagely.
"Almost—"
"Did he?"
"No." She smiled up at him. "You see," amusedly, "every time he put his arm around me the drum and cymbals played. It quite disconcerted him." But Philidor found no amusement in her recital.
"How do you happen to be here?"
His tone was still querulous. She looked at him calmly and after a pause she answered evenly.
We were driving slowly. I saw the routlotte and recognized it at once. So I switched off the magneto of his machine—I don't know what he thought—but he looked at me as though he believed I had gone suddenly mad, and, while he still wondered, I jumped."
"And then?"
Hermia laughed softly. "He swore at me. 'You little devil,' he cried,
'how did you happen to do that?'
"'My elbow slipped,' said I, from the roadside.
"'Your elbow! Ma foi, you have educated elbows!'
"'That's true, I should not play the cymbals else.'
"'Cymbals! Who taught you to run a machine?'
"'The bon Dieu!' said I, and fled to the Signora."
She laughed gaily. "Oh, he didn't follow. I think he understood that there had been a mistake. He watched me a moment and then got out, cranked his car thoughtfully, and went on in a cloud of dust— And that—that's' all," she finished.