llingworth knew that she did not want to hear,
that it would be dangerous, almost deadly, for her to hear. She longed
to spread out her hands in the protesting gesture of one keeping
something off, away from her, to say, "Don't! Don't! I won't hear!" And
she sat very still, and murmured a casual "Yes?"

And then Miss Van Tuyn shot her bolt very cleverly, her aim
being careful and good, her hand steady as a rock, her eyes fixed
undeviatingly on the object she meant to bring down. She consulted
Lady Sellingworth about her great friendship with Craven, told Lady
Sellingworth how for some time, "ever since the night we all went to
the theatre," Craven had been seeking her out persistently, spoke of
his visits, their dinners together, their games of golf at Beaconsfield,
finally came to Sunday, "yesterday."

"In the morning the telephone rang and we had a little talk. A Daimler
car was suggested and a run down to Rye. You know my American ideas,
Adela. A long day alone in the country with a boy--"

"Mr. Craven is scarcely a boy, I think!"

"But we call them boys!"

"Oh, yes!"

"With a boy means nothing extraordinary to a girl with my ideas. But I
think he took it rather differently. Anyhow, we spent the whole day out
playing golf together, and in the evening, when twilight was coming on,
we drove to Camber Sands. Do you know them?"

"No."

"They are vast and absolutely deserted. It was rather stormy, but we
took a long walk on them, and then sat on a sand bank to watch the night
coming on. I dare say it all sounds very ridiculous and sentimental to
you! I am sure it must!"

"No, no. Besides, I know you Americans do all these things with no
sentiment at all, merely _pour passer le temps_."

"Yes, sometimes. But he isn't an American."

Again she looked slightly embarrassed and seemed to hesitate.

"You mean--you think that he--?"

"It was that evening . . . last night only, in fact--"

"Oh, yes, of course it was last night. To-day is Monday."

"That I began to realize that we were getting into a rather different
relation to each other. When it began to get dark he wanted to hold my
hand and--but I needn't go into all that. It would only seem silly to
you. You see, we are both young, though, of course, he is older than
I. But he is very young, quite a boy in feeling and even in manner very
often. I have seen him lately in all sorts of circumstances, so I know."

She stopped as if thinking. Lady Sellingworth