He smiled—his own particular brand of smile—for the first time.
"Little—goose!" he said.
"Then—last night, when you pretended that you were going straight away—"
"I am going away," he broke in with considerable dignity. "That is, I have my plans laid that way now."
"Plans?"
"Yes. It's true that my resolution to get away from this town was born rather precipitately last night; however, I have been able to make my plans coincide."
"Oh!" I began with a foolish little quiver in my voice, then collected myself. "I'm glad that you could arrange your affairs so satisfactorily."
He looked across at me, his mouth grim.
"Why should I stay?" he demanded. "To-night will see the finishing up of the business which brought me to Oldburgh!"
Then, and not until then, I'm afraid, did I really recall the face of my city editor—and the fact that he had sent me out to obtain an interview, not a proposal.