It was Ross Davidge, whiling away an hour between appointments. He thought he recognized Marie Louise, but he was not sure. Women in the morning look so unlike their evening selves. He dared not speak.
Davidge lingered around trying to get up the courage to speak, but Marie Louise was too distraught with the feud even to see him when she looked at him. She would not have known him, anyway.
Davidge was confirmed in his guess at her identity by the appearance of the man he had seen at her side at the dinner. But the confirmation was Davidge’s exile, for the fellow lifted his hat with a look of great surprise and said to Marie Louise, “Fancy finding you heah!”
“Blah!” said Davidge to himself, and went on about his business.
Marie Louise did not pretend surprise at seeing Easton, but went on scolding Victor and Bettina.
“If any of these other boys catch you playing submarine they’ll submarine you!”
And she brought the proud Bettina to book with a, “You were so glad the Lusitania was sunk, you see now how it feels!”
She felt the puerile incongruity of the rebuke, but it sufficed to send Bettina into a cyclone of grief. She was already one of those who are infinitely indifferent to the sufferings of others and infinitesimally sensitive to their own.
When Nicky heard the story he gave Marie Louise a curious look of disapproval and took Bettina into his lap. She was also already one of those ladies who find a man’s lap an excellent consolation. He got rid of her adroitly and when she and Victor were once more engaged in navigation Nicky took up the business he had come for.