'I love you, John, I've fallen in love with you. I'm sorry, I know it's improbable, and perhaps you won't believe me, but it's true, I'm terribly sorry. I promise I'll be rational about it and not a nuisance and I wouldn't expect you to see me, well now you won't want to see me – Oh God!' She hid her face in the handkerchief. Ducane rose to his feet. He went over to the window and looked out at the beautiful geraniums and the beautiful motor cars and the blue evening sky full of beautiful aeroplanes on their way to London Airport. He tried to control his voice. There's plenty to eat in the house and I've got a bottle of wine.' 'There's no point in talking it over. It would only make things worse. There's nothing to say. I just love you. That's allaround her feet. 'Well, I hope you'll be happy, John, happy with – Yes.' 'Don't go, Mary.' 'I have got an appointment.' He groaned to himself. He wanted to take her in his arms, he wanted to be utterly revealed to her, he wanted her to understand. 'Let me give you something before you go, something to take away with you.' He looked wildly round the room. A French glass paper-weight was lying on the desk on top of some papers. He picked it up and quickly threw it into Mary's lap. The next moment he saw that she had burst into tears. 'What is it, my heart?' Ducane knelt beside her, thrusting the table away. He touched her knee. Holding the paper-weight tightly in her skirt and blowing her nose Mary said, 'John, you'll think I'm crazy and you're not to worry. There's something I've got to tell you. I can't go away out of that door without telling you. I wasn't really in love with Willy. I loved Willy dearly, I love him dearly, but it's not being in love. One knows what being in love is like and it is a very terrible thing. I shouldn't tell you this, you've got this girl, and you've been so awfully kind to me and I oughtn't to trouble you and I meant to say nothing about it, I really did, and if you hadn't – ' 'Mary, what on earth are you talking about? V 'I love you, John, I've fallen in love with you. I'm sorry, I know it's improbable, and perhaps you won't believe me, but it's true, I'm terribly sorry. I promise I'll be rational about it and not a nuisance and I wouldn't expect you to see me, well now you won't want to see me – Oh God!' She hid her face in the handkerchief. Ducane rose to his feet. He went over to the window and looked out at the beautiful geraniums and the beautiful motorThere's plenty to eat in the house and I've got a bottle of wine.' 'There's no point in talking it over. It would only make things worse. There's nothing to say. I just love you. That's all Forty 'Was that really it?» 'Yes.' 'Are you sure you did it right?' 'My God, I'm sure!' 'Well, I don't like it.' 'Girls never do the first time.' 'Perhaps I'm a Lesbian.' 'Don't be silly, Barbie. You did like it a little?' 'Well, just the first bit.' 'Oh Barb, you were so wonderful, I worship you.' 'Something's sticking into my back.' 'I hope you aren't lying on my glasses.' 'Damn your glasses. No, it's just an ivy root.' 'You're marked all over with beautiful marks of ivy leaves!' 'You were so heavy, Pierce.' 'I felt heavy afterwards. I felt I was just a great contented stone lying on top of you.' 'Are you sure I won't have a baby?' 'Sure.' 'Do you think I'll get to like it more, to like it as much as you do?' 'You'll like it more. You'll never like it as much as I do, Barbie. I've been in paradise.' 'Well, I'm glad somebody's pleased.' 'Oh Barb darling ' 'All right, all right. Do you think we've been wicked?' 'No. We love each other. We do love each other, don't we, Barbie?' 'Yes. But it could still be wrong.' , It could. I don't feel it is though. I feel as if everything in the world is with us.' 'I feel that too.' , You don't regret it, you won't hate me?' 'No. It had to happen to me and I'm glad it's happened like this.' 'I've loved you so long, Barb ' 'I feel I couldn't have done it with anyone else. It's because I know you so well, you're like my brother:' 'Barb!' 'Well, you know what I mean. Darling Pierce, your body looks so different to me now and so wonderful.' 'I can't think why girls like men at all. We're so rough and nasty and stick-like compared with you. You're not getting cold, are you?' – 'No, I'm fine. What a hot night. How huge the moon is.'
'It looks so close, as if we could touch it.' 'Listen to the owl, isn't he lovely? Pierce 'Yes?' 'Do you think we'll either of us ever go to bed with anyone else?' 'No, well, Barb, you know we're quite young and – ' 'You're thinking about other girls already!' 'Barb, Barb, please don't move away, please bring your hand back again. Darling, I love you, good God, you know I love you!' 'Maybe I do. You were horrid enough to me.' 'I promise I'll never be horrid again. You were horrid too.' 'I know. Let's really love each other, Pierce. In a good way.' 'Yes, let's. It won't be difficult.' 'It won't be easy. Perhaps we could get married after you've taken your A levels.' 'Well, Barb, we mustn't be in too much of a hurry – Oh darling, please ' 'When are we going to do this again? Tomorrow?' We can't tomorrow. I've got to go to Geoffrey PemberSmith's place.' 'Can't you put it off? T 'Well, no. You see there's this chance to have the yacht ' 'What about me? I thought you loved me!' 'I do love you, darling Barb. But yachts are important too.' 'Well, you could have knocked me down with a feather.' The too.' 'What a dark horse Mary is. And after all that business with Willy.' 'My dear Kate, you did rather jump to conclusions about Mary and Willy. She was never too certain about it.' 'Maybe. But I'm sure she wasn't thinking of appropriating John.' 'Perhaps John appropriated her.' 'No, no, Octavian. It was her doing. It must have occurred to her after the thing with Willy fell through. She felt she had to have somebody. I hope they won't regret it.'
