"You did three, darling."
"Only three? And there are nine and twenty. Still, he'll see that I began them. Kitty—do you think he'll wonder and guess why I left off?"
"Oh no, he isn't as clever as all that."
"You mustn't tell him. You're writing the letter, dear, now, aren't you? You mustn't say a word about my illness. Only tell him I'm so glad to hear he's going to Alassio with Mr. Maddox."
"I don't think any the better of him for that. Fancy going to Italy with that brute of a man!"
"He wasn't really a brute. He only said those things because he cared for him. You can't blame him for that."
"I don't blame him for that. I blame him for being a most appalling bounder."
"Do you mind not talking about him any more?"
"No dear, I don't a bit."
Lucia lay very quiet for some time before she spoke again. "They can't say now I sacrificed his genius to my pride. You will catch the post, won't you? What a plague I am, but if they're posted before seven he'll get them in the morning and he'll have time to write. Perhaps he won't be starting till the afternoon."