“Oh!” he said, “you don’t suppose you can keep those old fellows to yourselves—they’re international. But hadn’t we better be getting on? Let me help you through the gap.”
They reached the Dene some time later, and Mabel, very much against her wishes, was sent to bed, while shortly afterwards Carroll came across Vane, who had changed his clothes, strolling up and down among the shrubberies.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
Vane looked embarrassed. “For one thing, I’m keeping out of Mrs. Chisholm’s way; she’s inclined to be effusive. For another, I’m trying to decide what I ought to do. We’ll have to pull out very shortly, and I had meant to have had an interview with Evelyn to-day. That’s why I feel uncommonly annoyed with Mopsy for falling in.”
Carroll made a grimace. “If that’s how it strikes you, any advice I could offer would be wasted. A sensible man would consider it a promising opportunity.”
“And trade upon it.”
“Do you really want the girl?”
“That impression’s firmly in my mind,” said Vane, curtly.
“Then you had better pitch your quixotic notions overboard, and tell her so.”
Vane made no answer, and Carroll, seeing that his comrade was not inclined to be communicative, left him.