“I don’t want you to be too much interested, and go making scenes and all that—though you couldn’t for you don’t know his name. Suffice to tell you—as the books say—he is a very handsome man, much, much handsomer than you, Ju—Well, listen to me. He asked me to run off with him.”
“Run off with him?”
“Yes—to Spain. We were to go to Paris first and then to Spain—Spain, at this time of year!”
“What did you say?”
“I said: ‘Please don’t be stupid.’ I’d been reading a novel where a girl said that to a man who wanted to run off with her—she died at the end—but that’s what she said at first—Fortunate I remembered it.”
“Why?”
“Because—because—for a moment I felt inclined to say ‘yes.’ I know it was dreadful, but think of my position, you going on like that, and me all alone with no one to care for me—It’s like a crave for drink. I must have someone to care for me and I thought you didn’t—so I nearly said ‘yes.’ Once I had said what I did I felt stronger.”
“What did he say?”
“He pleaded passionately—like the man in the book, and talked of roses and blue seas—he’s not English—I sat thinking of Venetia in her felt bath room slippers and yellow wrapper. You know she reads St. Thomas à Kempis and opens bazaars. She opened one the other day, and came back with her nose quite red and in a horrid temper—I wonder what was inside that bazaar?—Well, I knew if I did anything foolish Venetia would exult, and that held me firm. She’s not wicked. I believe she is really good as far as she knows how, and that’s the terrible thing about her. She goes to church twice on Sunday, she takes puddings and things to old women in the country, she opens bazaars and subscribes to ragged schools—yet with one word she sets everyone by the ears—Well, when I got home from the dance I began to think, and to-day, when they were all out, I had my boxes packed and came right back here. I’d have given anything to see their faces when they got home and found me gone.”
She sprang up suddenly. A knock had come to the door, it opened and a servant announced Miss Birdbrook.