"The eastern house!" said Nigel. "You little thought you would ever be mistress of it, did you, Ruby? How wonderful these prayer rugs are! But we must get rid of that vase."
"Why?" she said hastily, almost sharply.
He looked at her in surprise.
"You don't mean to say you like it? Besides, it doesn't belong to the room. It's a false note."
"Of course. But it appeals to my sense of humour—like that ridiculous cuckoo clock. Don't let's change anything. The incongruities are too delicious."
"You are a regular baby!" he said. "All right. Shall we make Baroudi's 'den' your boudoir?"
She nodded, smiling.
"And you shall use it whenever you like. And now for the bedrooms!"
"More incongruities," he said. "But never mind. They looked delightfully clean and cosy."
"Clean and cosy!" she repeated, with a sort of light irony in her beautiful voice. "Is that all?"