«What?»
«Go on.»
«Now Julian has explained everything to us and it's all perfectly clear.»
«And what does it look like?»
«Of course she was upset and touched. She felt pity for you, she said.»
«I don't believe you. But go on.»
«And of course she was flattered-«What's she doing now?»
«Now? Lying on her bed and crying her eyes out.»
«Christ.»
«But don't worry about her, Bradley.»
«Oh, I won't.»
«I wanted to explain-She has now told us everything, and we can see that this is really nothing at all, just a storm in a teacup, and she agrees.»
«Does she?»
«She asks you to forgive her for being so emotional and silly, and she says will you please not try to see her just now.»
«Arnold, did she really say this?»
' «Yes.
I gripped him by the shoulders and pulled him with me a few steps so that the lamplight fell onto his face. He reacted convulsively for a moment, then stood still in my hold. «Arnold, did she say that?»
«Yes.»
I let go of him, and we both moved instinctively back into the shadow. His face leered at me, twisted up with will and anxiety and deep intention. It was not the pink angry hostile face of earlier. It was a hard determined face which told me nothing.
«Embarrassed?»
«Yes, and it will be most considerate of you to sheer off. Be kind to the child. Let her recover her dignity. Dignity matters so much to a young girl. She feels she's lost face by taking it all so seriously and she feels she's made a bit of an exhibition of herself. If you saw her now she'd just giggle and blush and feel sorry for you and ashamed of herself. She sees now it was silly to take it all so seriously and make a drama of it. She admits that she was flattered, it turned her head a bit, and it was an exciting surprise. But when she saw we weren't amused she sobered up. She understands now that it's all an impossible nonsense, well, she understands, in practical matters she's an intelligent girl. Do use enough imagination to see how she must feel now! She's not such a fool as to imagine you're suffering from any great passion either. She says she's very sorry and will you please not try to see her for a while yet. It's better to have a bit of an interval. We're going on holiday soon anyway, the day after tomorrow, in fact. I've decided to take her to Venice. She's always wanted to go. We've been to Rome and Florence, but never there, and she's got a thing about it. So we're going to take a flat, probably spend the rest of the summer. Julian's absolutely thrilled. I think a change of scene would help my book too. So there we are. I'm awfully sorry I got so worked up this afternoon. You must have thought me a solemn idiot. I hope you aren't angry with me now?»
«Not at all,» I said.
