"It's the last thing I should dream of doing."
"Well, wasn't it rather unfair—before you even knew me? It's done me a lot of harm ... and it hurt so terribly. If you were just to say you were sorry——?"
Her humility was so unexpected as to be bewildering.
"My dear Lady Barbara, I've only seen you once before!" he exclaimed. "I did say something about you then; I criticized the people you went about with, if you're referring to that."
"Then you don't despise me?"
"You're the greatest revelation I've ever had."
As the waltz quickened to the coda, a stout, flamboyant figure appeared in the doorway, attended by a sallow escort armed with music-cases and instruments. The Secretary ended a warm exchange of invective to cross the room and thank Lady Barbara. Refusing to give an encore to the waltz, she bowed to Jack and hurried out of the room.
Half-way down the stairs he overtook her and asked to be allowed to sit out the next dance with her.
"We can hardly leave it like this, can we?" he urged.