"Will you come back then?" she challenged.
"I shall be a middle-aged man then; though I suppose you regard me as that now." He forced a wry smile. "No; I shall never come back, in the way that you mean."
"I'll make you," she laughed. "Unless you've stopped caring."
"I shall never stop caring."
"If I get engaged shall I bring him to you? And if you say not, I won't marry him."
Scott's face contracted. "No; my dear. I don't think I could quite endure being put in that position."
"I don't suppose I'll ever understand about you," she sighed. "We ought to be going on, oughtn't we?"
She looked at him expectantly, but he only set about packing the things into the hamper.
It was her turn to be thoughtful and silent when they re-embarked in the car. As they neared the city, she said suddenly, "Come to the Parmenters' this evening."
"I think not, Pat."