“I couldn’t afford to pay for such a place,” I said, sighing, for I would have loved to have a studio of my own.
“Tell you what you do,” said Reggie. “You let me pay for the room. You needn’t get an expensive place, you know—just a little studio. Then you tell your governor that you get the room free for teaching or painting for the landlady, or something like that. What do you say, darling?”
“I thought you said you despised a lie?” was my answer. “You said you would never forgive me if I deceived you or told you a lie.”
“But that was to me, darling. That’s different. It’s not lying exactly—just using a bit of diplomacy, don’t you see?”
“I’m afraid I can’t do it, Reggie. I ought to stay at home. They really need my help, now Ellen and Charles are both married, and Nellie engaged and may marry any time.”
Nellie was the girl next to me. She was engaged to a Frenchman who was urging her to marry right away.
“You see,” I went on, “there’s only Ada helping. The other girls are too young to work yet, though Nora is leaving home next week.”
“Nora! That kid! What on earth is she going to do?”
“Oh, Nora’s not so young. She’s nearly seventeen. You forget we’ve been engaged some time now, and all the children are growing up.”
I said this sulkily. Secretly I resented Reggie’s constantly putting off our marriage day.