“You talk funny. I say arsk.”
“My home’s up north.”
“Home. Father and mother?”
“Well—no. A wife and all that.”
“O-o-h! Married?”
She looked unhappy and uncomfortable for a moment. Then she said:
“I shouldn’t have thought it. You look so young. What did you do?”
“Lectured and took pupils at the university.”
“College? I know. There’s a big school just round here. I suppose it’s something like that. I seen the teachers. Half-baked they look, some of them. Was that it?”
“I don’t know what it was. Things came to a head suddenly. I was taken by surprise. I think it will take me some time to realize quite what has happened.”