“I can’t say I do,” she said sharply, feeling that most of the gilt was being stripped off her sin.
She stopped in such obvious dissatisfaction that the Prophet, vaguely aware that he had made some mistake, said,—
“Please go on. I am so interested. Why have you led a double life for the last week and a half?”
“Year and a half, I said.”
“I mean year and a half.”
He forced his mobile features to assume a fixed expression of greedy, though rather too constant, curiosity. Lady Enid brightened up.
“Mr. Vivian,” she said, “many girls are born sensible-looking without wishing it.”
“Are they really? It never occurred to me.”
“Such things very seldom do occur to men. Now that places these girls in a very painful position. I was placed in this position as soon as I was born, or at least as soon as I began to look like anything at all. For babies really don’t.”
“That’s very true,” assented the Prophet, with more fervour.