‘You must think I’m rushing it.’ She was very serious now. ‘But I can’t help it. I feel I must, while we’re here and it’s quiet and—Oh!—I don’t know. But listen. Do you—will you—want to see me again?’
His hands went out, but she caught and held them. ‘No, never mind about that, now. Tell me, honestly and truly, do you?’
‘Of course I do!’ he cried. ‘What a question! Why, you’re the very person I’m going up to see, though I didn’t know it when I began this journey. But then I didn’t know anything. When do we get there? Anyhow, we’ll begin with dinner the very first night, that is, if Sir William doesn’t object. What about him?’
‘Don’t be silly. He doesn’t matter. He can fade out. He’s done that already.’
‘So he has,’ he assented. ‘And it’s a comforting thought. But what’s this about town?’
‘I want to see you too. And I want to help if you’ll start again. I’ll do anything, everything.’
His mind went blundering after her. ‘Do you mean——’ he began.
‘Don’t you see what I mean?’ she broke in, with a whispered vehemence. ‘I’ll do everything. Oh, it sounds crazy, I know. Don’t think I’m always like this. I’ve never been like this before. But the girl from the chorus you’ve met in the middle of the night is telling you she’ll live with you if you want her to, and there you have it. She’s gone mad and is flinging herself at you.’
‘And he’s trying to fling himself at her,’ he cried, clasping her arms. An idea was fermenting in his mind. Why shouldn’t they try it together? They’d nothing to lose, at least he hadn’t, and everything to gain. It was delightfully crazy, this idea of his, which wasn’t identical with hers, much crazier. But he hadn’t tested the strength of hers yet. ‘You’re absolutely regal, Gladys; you take my breath away. But listen to me a minute——’
‘Are you going to tell me you don’t want me?’ she demanded. ‘Because you’ve only to nod and it’ll save you the trouble.’