"It never occurred to me," he said lamely. "Of course, Jack never mentioned a word——"
"He wouldn't.… Jim knew, but he wouldn't either.… There was no one else to give me away.… I've always been afraid of saying something in my sleep.… I want to forget, forget.…"
The words came out in jerks, with a sobbing struggle for breath between. Her head was bent so low that she did not see him rise and come round to her side; a startled shiver passed through her, as he knelt down and put his arm round her shoulders, drawing her to him until her cheek rested against his.
"Babs, dear! Darling Babs!" he whispered. "Don't——"
"Ah, don't tell me not to cry, Eric! I've kept it down, I have been brave, but it's sending me mad!"
She was sliding limply off the chair, as though her bones had been broken in company with her pride and resistance. He led her to a sofa and knelt beside her, sometimes gently chafing her hands, sometimes drying the slow tears which rolled down her cheeks. Once or twice she tried to speak, but he hushed her to silence.
"Darling, you must stop now," he commanded as the tears ceased and she began to sob drily. "When I said 'Don't——,' I was going to say 'Don't stop crying, don't mind me; it will do you good.' But you'll make yourself ill, if you go on." He caught her wrist and gripped it. "Put your feet up, because I'm going to push the sofa to the fire.… Your shoulders are frozen.… Now I'm going to bring you the lobster.… And you haven't had anything to drink yet."
After a single weak protest she entered into the spirit of his fireside picnic and by the time that he had seated himself cross-legged on the floor she was laughing at his apprehensive care in keeping his trousers from losing their crease. When coffee was brought in, he gave her a cigarette and raised her hand clumsily to his lips.
"I'm sorry I've been unsympathetic, Babs." There was no answer, and he could see her staring into the fire with eyes that were covered with a film of tears. "I didn't understand, I thought you were ill and over-excited, or I'd have bitten out my tongue before I snubbed you and told you that you were a nuisance. Will you forgive me?"
The film of tears gathered into shining drops and rolled mournfully down her cheeks.