“Yes, please! I had forgotten the hood. That will be cosy!”
Margot’s cold cheeks flamed with sudden colour as she felt the touch of careful fingers settling the hood round head and face, and fumbling for the hook under the chin. At that moment at least cold was not the predominant sensation! There was a short silence while the Editor seated himself by her side, and felt in his pockets.
“You won’t mind if I smoke?”
“I shall like it, especially if you have fusees. I love the smell of fusees! You don’t ask me to have a cigarette, I notice, and yet it is fashionable for girls to smoke nowadays. How did you know that I didn’t?”
“I did know! I can hardly tell why, but I am thankful for it, all the same. I am too old-fashioned to care for smoking women. A girl loses her charm when she apes a man’s habits.”
“Yes. I agree. I am sorry I am not a man, but as I’m a girl I prefer to be a real one, and have my clothes smelling sweet and violety, instead of like a fusty railway carriage. But men seem to find smoke soothing at times. I wish I had a feminine equivalent of it just now. It’s a little bit frightening to sit still and stare into this blank white wall. Couldn’t you tell me something interesting to pass the time?”
“It’s a little difficult to be ‘interesting’ to order. What particular kind of narrative would distract you best?”
“Oh—something about yourself. Something you have done, or felt, or planned for another day. I’m so interested in people!” returned Margot, wrapping the folds of her cloak more closely round her, and slipping her hands deep down into the inside pockets. “Have you had any thrilling experiences or adventures that you don’t mind speaking about? The more thrilling the better, please, for my feet are so cold!”
She shivered, in involuntary childish fashion, and George Elgood sighed profoundly.
“This is about the biggest adventure I’ve had. I was once snowed up for a night in a rest-house on one of the Swiss mountains, but we had every ordinary comfort, and knew exactly where we were, so that it didn’t amount to much, after all. I was going up with my guide, and met another party of two brothers and a sister coming down, and we all took shelter together, while one of the guides returned to the village, to let the people in the hotel know of our safety. When the door was open the prospect was sufficiently eerie, but we made a fire and brewed tea, and passed the time pleasantly enough. The worst part of it was that I had to give up the ascent next day, as there was too much snow to make it prudent to go on.”