"Can't you sleep?" she asked suddenly.
"No."
"I can't. Will it bore you to come in to talk to us?"
He was used to unconventional people. He saw nothing strange in the woman's invitation. Most of the women known to him would have acted as simply and as frankly in the same circumstances. He knew that Templeton seldom went to bed before two. He took it for granted that Templeton was in the sitting-room; possibly within earshot.
"I'm not very presentable," he said. "Let me change this robe."
"We shan't mind," she said, reassuring him. "Come on."
"Will you let me in?"
"We'll pull down this screen."
They pulled down the old matting with two vigorous jerks. Roger stepped across the partition into the further balcony.
"Come in," she said, passing through the window. "It's dark inside here. Take care of the chair there." She put out a hand to pull the chair away. She did it roughly, making a good deal of noise.