ould have felt it a terrible responsibility if you were to go.' She
spoke as if the gladness that was not to be repressed called for some
explanation. 'Mrs. Freddy says that she and Mr. Freddy see so little of
you nowadays. That was why she made such a point of my coming and trying
to--to----'

'You needed a great deal of urging then?' He betrayed the half-amused,
half-ironic surprise of the man accustomed to find people ready enough,
as a rule, to clutch at excuse for a _tete-a-tete_. Although she had
flushed with mingled embarrassment and excitement, he proceeded to
increase her perturbation by suggesting, 'Mrs. Freddy had to overcome
your dislike for the mission.'

'Dislike? Oh, no!'

'What then?'

'My--well----' She lifted her eyes, and dared to look him full in the
face as she said, 'I suppose you know you are rather alarming.'

'Am I?' he smiled.

People less interested in him than Jean were grateful to Geoffrey Stonor
when he smiled. They felt relieved from some intangible responsibility
for the order of the universe.

The girl brightened wonderfully. 'Oh, yes, very alarming indeed,' she
assured him cheerfully.

'How do you make that out?'

'I don't need to "make it out." It's so very plain.' Then a little
hastily, as if afraid of having said something that sounded like impious
fault-finding, 'Anybody's alarming who is so--so much talked about, and
so--well, like you, you understand.'

'I don't understand,' he objected mendaciously--'not a little bit.'

'I think you must,' she said, with her candid air. 'Though I had made up
my mind that I wouldn't be afraid of you any more since our week-end at
Ulland.'

'Ah, that's better!'

There was nothing in the words, but in the gentleness with which he
brought them out, so much that the girl turned her eyes away and played
with the handle of her parasol.

'Have you been reading any more poetry?' he said.

'No.'

'No? Why not?'

She shook her head. 'It doesn't sound the same.'

'What! I spoilt it for you?'

She laughed, and again she shook her head, but with something shy,
half-frightened in her look. Nervously she dashed at a diversion.

'I'm afraid I was a little misleading about the children. They aren't in
the garden yet. Shall we go up and see them having tea?'

'Oh, no, it would be bad for their little digestions to hurry them.'

He sat down. Her face gave him as much credit as though he had done some
fine self-abnegating deed.

They s