“Do I often send you away from me, Gene? But tell me what does all this mean? Why do I find myself here? Have I been ill and have you brought me to your own hospital to care for me? But no, you are not wearing your Red Cross uniform.”
Then, without waiting to hear more, Richard Thornton had slipped quickly away to find Barbara, and Barbara had then found Nona and Mildred to confide her husband’s great news.
That same evening after dinner Barbara chose for her own confession.
Perhaps she believed that Dick would be more lenient because of the scene he had witnessed. Perhaps the thought of the exquisite happiness in the reunion between Eugenia and Captain Castaigne made the shadow between herself and her husband the more painful. Whatever the reason, Barbara selected the hour when they were walking together after dusk to whisper the history of the past few weeks.
At first, without in the least understanding and afterwards in deeper and deeper silence, Dick listened to the story.
Only when Barbara had broken down did he reply in a voice which she had never heard from him before:
“Suppose we go back to our room, Barbara, so that I can fully grasp what this is you are telling me. It is so unlike any conception I ever had of you that you must forgive my appearing stupid. No, of course, Lieutenant Kelley was in no way to blame. I am almost as sorry for him as I am for myself. Only you cannot have hurt his ideal of you as you have mine. But please don’t cry out here where people can see you.”
“But I will unless you tell me what you are going to do?” Bab insisted like a frightened child.
“What I am going to do isn’t so important as the way I feel, is it, Bab?” Dick answered.
Afterwards, no one except Nona Davis appreciated why Barbara went about during the rest of her husband’s visit with a white, unhappy face and frightened dark-blue eyes.