‘Where to?’
‘To walk about the streets after dark, and see the crowds and the illuminations.’
Nancy uttered this with a sly mirthfulness. Her friend was astonished.
‘Nonsense! you don’t mean it.’
‘I do. I want to go for the fun of the thing. I should feel ashamed of myself if I ran to stare at Royalties, but it’s a different thing at night. It’ll be wonderful, all the traffic stopped, and the streets crammed with people, and blazing with lights. Won’t you go?’
‘But the time, the time! I can’t afford it. I’m getting on so wretchedly with my Greek and my chemistry.’
‘You’ve time enough,’ said Nancy. ‘And, you know, after all it’s a historical event. In the year 3000 it will be ‘set’ in an examination paper, and poor wretches will get plucked because they don’t know the date.’
This was quite a new aspect of the matter to Jessica Morgan. She pondered it, and smiled.
‘Yes, I suppose it will. But we should have to be out so late.’
‘Why not, for once? It needn’t be later than half-past eleven.’ Nancy broke off and gesticulated. ‘That’s just why I want to go! I should like to walk about all night, as lots of people will. The public-houses are going to be kept open till two o’clock.’