“You’re a queer one, Annette. You don’t seem to mind.”
“Mind!”
Annette was astonished to find that she had got beyond being distressed or shocked. She was hardly at all interested in Frederic’s state of mind or condition. She felt that something must be done, and she wanted to know exactly what. Annie, whoever or whatever she might be, was unhappy and something must be done to help her. Annette turned to Frederic and said:
“What are you going to do?”
He replied:
“What can I do? Don’t look at me like that. I’m not so bad as all that, I’m not.”
“But it is wicked.”
“I know it is, but you can’t help it. I don’t know. Everything seems all wrong. You go along quite quietly for months and months, and then suddenly everything’s all wrong. It’s queer to be talking to you like this. You don’t understand the least little bit, though you are such a queer one. But I can talk to you just because you don’t understand.”
“I do understand,” said Annette.