lplessness
stealing over her. Then a shadow darkened the page. She looked up, to
see Perigal standing behind her.

"Interesting?" he asked.

"Very."

"Sorry."

He moved away. Mavis tried to go on with her book, but could not fix
her attention upon what she read. Her heart was beating rapidly. She
followed the man's retreating figure with her eyes; it expressed a
dejection that moved her pity. Although she felt that she was behaving
in a manner foreign to her usual reserve, she closed her book, got up
and walked after Perigal.

He heard her approaching and turned round.

"There's no occasion to follow me," he said.

"I won't if you don't wish it."

"I said that for your sake. You surely know that I didn't for mine."

"Why for my sake?"

"I've a beastly 'pip.' It's catching."

"Where did you catch it?"

"I've always got it more or less."

"I'm sorry. I've to thank you for those violets."

"Rot!"

"I was glad to get them."

"Really, really glad?" he asked, his face lightening.

"Of course. I love flowers."

"I see," he said coldly.

She made as if she would leave him, but, as before, felt a certain
inertness in his presence which she was in no mood to combat; instead
of going, she turned to him to ask:

"Anything happened to you since I last saw you?"

"The usual."

"What?"

"Depression and rows with my father."

"I thought you'd forget your promise."

"On the contrary, that's what all the row was about."

"How was that?"

"First of all, I told him that I had met you and all you told me about
yourself."

"That made him angry?"

"And when I told him I wanted to have another shot at something, a
jolly good shot this time, he said, 'I suppose that means you want
money?'"

"What did you say?"

"One can't make money without. That's what all the row's been about.
He's a fearful old screw."

"As well as I remember, my father always liked him."

"That was before I grew up to sour his life."

"Did you tell him how you saved Jill's life?" asked Mavis.

"I'd forgotten that, and I'm also forgetting my fishing."

"May I come too?"

"I've a spare rod if you care about having a go."

"I should love to. I've often thought I'd go in for it. It would be
something to do in the evenings."

She walked with him a hundred yards further, where he had left two rods
on the bank with the lines in the water; these had been carried by the
current as far as the lengths of gut would permit.

"Ha