“I thought you were Florence, do you know?” were almost his first words.
They acted as a cold shower-bath on Imogen; nothing could have so helped her to regain her self-possession. She stiffened at once.
“I am very sorry I cannot turn myself into Florence,” she said, though the tears were, all the same, not far from her eyes. “But I needn’t keep you; I am going on a little farther.”
“I hope not,” he said kindly; “as I am so lucky as to have met you, can’t you turn and walk a bit of the way back with me?” (“It will be a splendid opportunity for following Robin’s advice and telling her all about Eva,” he suddenly thought.) “You know we were going to have a good talk the day I was called away.” He walked on slowly as he spoke, and Imogen could scarcely avoid accompanying him. “By the bye,” he added, “you got my note that morning?”
Imogen’s breath came fast and chokingly.
“Ye-es,” she said, and he saw that she was growing very pale, “I—I got it. That was why—I wanted to see you first alone.” Poor child! even as she uttered the words she felt what she was doing. Where were all her hoped-for evasions? she was no diplomatist indeed.
“Then you knew I was coming?” he exclaimed, thoughtlessly. But, almost in the same breath, his perfect though simple chivalry came to his aid. “I am so glad you came,” he went on, “if I can be of any use. I have been anxious about you; I had wanted to warn you even more definitely about some of our friends at The Fells. Florence promised to do what she could, but you have not got to know her as I hoped. By the bye, did she tell you I was coming? I asked her not; but still—if she told you—”
He was getting a little bewildered himself, now. For, of course, Florence would never have counselled or sanctioned the poor child exposing herself to such gossip as might result from her present step.
“No,” Imogen replied. “Trixie told me, not Florence. I suppose coming to meet you was a dreadful thing to do, Major Winchester, but I didn’t think of that at the time. I—”
She seemed unable to say another word.