“Not at all,” she replied, with absurd seriousness.
They had tea in the open air near the elephant’s parade-ground. During the meal he said slowly and thrillingly: “I had a stroke of luck yesterday.”
Politeness required her to be interested and reply: “Oh, did you? What was it?”
He coughed before answering. He made a little bending gesture with his head, as if to indicate that he was about to take her somewhat into his confidence.
“Last year,” he began, “I bought a certain number of shares for five hundred pounds. The day before yesterday these shares were worth five hundred and ninety-five pounds. Yesterday their value increased to six hundred and forty pounds. To-day they may be worth a still higher figure.... So, you see, yesterday I earned, in a kind of way, forty-five pounds. And without any effort on my part, besides. Forty-five pounds in one day isn’t bad, is it?”
“Quite good,” she murmured vaguely. She wondered if she would startle him by saying that she had earned much more than forty-five pounds in a couple of hours. She decided not to try.
“Curious how money makes money, isn’t it?” he went on. “Wonderful thing—modern finance.... Of course I am saving up. After all, a man wants a home some day, doesn’t he? As soon as I come across the right girl I shall get married....”
He paused for effect.
“If she’ll let you,” put in Catherine, from no apparent motive.
He appeared ruffled.