“Oh, Tommy and Irene? They’re about somewhere,” he said carelessly. He reached for a fresh cigarette, eyed it as though it were an unfamiliar thing and lighted it deliberately. That look in her face, the appeal in her eyes, had struck deep into him. He sat down beside her on the davenport, crossed his knees and folded his arms. His composure restored her confidence. In a moment she settled back, quite herself again.
He touched rapidly upon a great number of problems, talking well, with an animation that surprised her. But she knew that he was trying to make her forget her perturbation of a moment ago. It was an enormous satisfaction to know that he understood; it was almost uncanny that he understood so much of what was in her mind and heart without being told.
“If it isn’t impudent for me to ask, I’d like to know just what you’re aiming at,” he said. “You look like a girl who might be cursed with ambitions. Can’t you let me into the secret?”
“Oh, honestly, I haven’t any! When I was at the university I thought I had some—but they were silly. Like every other girl I was crazy for a while to be a trained nurse, then a settlement worker, and I even thought I might be a writer, and for about a week I had a craze to study medicine. Then I had to leave college, so I took a job in a department store! How’s that for ambition!”
“A little mixed; but the books are not closed yet! There’s plenty of time for fresh entries. There’s marriage. You’ve overlooked that. That must be on the program!”
“It’s not the first number! College girls who don’t get married the day after commencement are likely to wait awhile. I’m not a bit excited about getting married. I want to look the world over before I settle down.”
“Suppose you fell in love—some fine fellow who could take good care of you. What then?”
“Well, I’ve had chances to marry and I couldn’t see it. I’ve never been in love—not really. There’s a professor who wanted to marry me—a widower with two children. You wouldn’t have me do that? And young fellows, several of them, very nice, who caused me a lot of bother before I got rid of them. I liked them all but I couldn’t love them.”
“Then I’ll make the prediction that always applies in such cases; some day you’ll meet just the right man and that will be the end of it.”
“Maybe; but I don’t see it now. All I want—all I want right now is to be free!” she said and a far-away look came into the dark eyes.