Again the swift flash of a smile passed over the slack mouth and there was a gathering in the wrinkles in the corners of her eyes. Painfully she pulled herself up into the car and sank into the seat beside him.
He switched on the motor, threw out the clutch, engaged the starting gear, and paused with his hand on the lever.
"We'll go around this way. It's not so crowded and I think the air's better."
She smiled at him confidently.
They started. At the corner he swung around in a wide sweep. He caught a glance at her and saw her sitting with eyes glued intently on the street before them, her hands gripping the edge of the seat. Then the block ahead was straight and smooth and free of traffic.
He patted the chest of his coat.
"I've just put an order away in here," he said. "It's very easy. They're scrambling over each other to buy these cars."
She gave him a fleeting glance and returned to her desperate business of watching the road.
For a moment he was silent. They rounded another corner.
"I'm not really expecting you to buy a car—merely speak a good word for it with your friends. That is, if you like it. It is all right, isn't it?"