He laughed.
‘Poor Judy! Give it up! You’ll have to in time. Resign yourself, and the compensations won’t seem so preposterously inadequate. There was a time.... But that’s past. So long as there’s a balance of happiness I’m content to be alive. That it’s all futile has ceased to trouble me. It’s not really difficult to be happy, Judith.’
‘Well—you shall show me.’
But she felt crushed with melancholy to hear him; and his calm voice echoed drearily in her heart.
She bade him good-night in the empty lounge, and went upstairs to the bedroom’s rose and gilt harshness.
She was going to be Julian’s mistress.... He was sure of her: she had noted his triumphant eyes and smiling mouth when he said good night.... Perhaps if she had offered to be Roddy’s mistress he would have agreed with alacrity. He too was not made for matrimony.
She wished suddenly for Martin and sat down and started a letter to him; gave up after a few sentences, too heavy-minded to think; and went to bed.
10
The next day was jour de fête: there were to be grand balls, carnivals and exhibition-dancing in all the hotels.
‘We’ll make the round of them, Judy,’ said Julian. ‘And afterwards we’ll take the car and go up into the hills—shall we?’