"But why should I disappoint them?"
"I feel you owe it to me, after we've not met for so long."
Barbara could not wholly hide from him that she was puzzled.
"I'll—see," she said.
"You used to be more gracious; you used to say, 'Yes—if you want me to.'"
"That was in the old days," she answered quickly and saw, too late, that she had needlessly raised the temperature of the discussion.
"Nothing's happened to change it, I hope," said Jack easily.
After the first embarrassment of the meeting, he felt that he was holding his own and that Barbara was mystified and uncomfortable.
"Jack, you've not forgotten our last meeting?" she asked.