He heard Clare's voice reply: "Yes, Mr. Speed, I know what you want. Hot weather, isn't it?"
"Very."
She went on, searching meanwhile along some shelves: "Nice of you not to bother about seeing me home the other night, Mr. Speed."
He said, with a touch of embarrassment: "Well, you see, you told me. About—about Miss Ervine getting jealous, you know."
"It was nice of you to take my information without doubting it."
He said, rather to his own surprise: "As a matter of fact, I'm not sure that I don't doubt it. Miss Ervine seems to me a perfectly delightful and natural girl, far too unsophisticated to be jealous of anybody. The more I see of her the more I like her."
After a pause she answered quietly: "Well, I'm not surprised at that."
"I suppose," he went on, "with her it's rather the opposite. I mean, the more she sees of me the less she likes me. Isn't that it?"
"I shouldn't think she likes you any less than she did at first.... Here's the atlas. It's one and three—I'd better put it on your account, eh?"
"Yes, yes, of course.... So you think—"