Considering that he owed it both to Nona and to Madame Castaigne’s consistent friendliness toward him, Philip Dawson went first to her.
After their talk Eugenia recognized once more that she had recently permitted herself to become too engrossed in her personal affairs. She had been thinking of asking for leave and taking Captain Castaigne to his own home in southern France. Now she made up her mind that this would be the wisest thing for them to do.
Certainly if anything which was unfortunate for Nona in the future had come about through her carelessness, Sonya Valesky would never forgive her. Then Eugenia argued that Nona was by no means a child and had the right to choose her own life, although what her choice would be Eugenia could not guess.
Yet she did arrange that Nona should see Philip Dawson alone the next evening, which was infringing upon one of the hospital rules. But Philip Dawson had explained that he was forced to leave France almost at once and there was no other time.
Nona only knew, however, that he wished to see her for an important reason, or that he had made the excuse of an important reason. She supposed he was too busy for them to spend an afternoon together.
It was beginning to turn cool and the night had the brilliance of the sky in early autumn. Only the stars were out, but later the harvest moon would rise over many fields of France and other lands which war had laid waste.
Tonight Philip Dawson and Nona were both glad that the country surrounding them had so far remained serene.
Nona had put on a wrap, but wore nothing on her head.
As they were walking up and down the hospital grounds, which were not large, but had a few shade trees and a small garden, Philip Dawson stopped suddenly and looked closely at Nona.
“Nona,” he began almost irritably, for they had almost unconsciously grown into the habit of calling each other by their first names, “I sometimes wish you did not so often remind me of the old fairy story of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ when I am with you. It is not that I wish you less fair, my lady, or that until recently I have ever given much thought to my own unhappy appearance.”