Ten minutes later she arrived in the dining-room, waving a lighted ribbon that disseminated perfume.
“What on earth are you doing?” I asked.
“Fumigating the house,” she said. “It is unnecessary as I don’t think they were infectious, but the ceremony has a moral significance—like incense. Anyway it relieves my feelings.”
Then she laughed and threw the remains of the ribbon into the fire, adding,
“If you say a word about those people I’ll leave the room.”
I think we had one of the jolliest breakfasts I ever remember. To begin with we were both hungry since our miseries of the night before had prevented us from eating any dinner. Indeed she swore that she had scarcely tasted food since Saturday. Then we had such a lot to talk about. With short intervals we talked all that day, either in the house or while walking through the gardens and grounds. Passing through the latter I came to the spot on the back drive where once I had saved her from being abducted by Harût and Marût, and as I recognized it, uttered an exclamation. She asked me why and the end of it was that I told her all that story which to this moment she had never heard, for Ragnall had thought well to keep it from her.
She listened intently, then said,
“So I owe you more than I knew. Yet, I’m not sure, for you see I was abducted after all. Also if I had been taken there, probably George would never have married me or seen me again, and that might have been better for him.”
“Why?” I asked. “You were all the world to him.”
“Is any woman ever all the world to a man, Mr. Quatermain?”