rotten with each other. That would be
too foul, like thieves falling out."

"I've always been perfectly straight with you," she said coldly. "I have
nothing to reproach myself with."

The closing of his fingers on her hand, and their unclosing, irritated
her whole body. To-day she disliked his touch intensely, so intensely
that she could scarcely believe she had ever liked it, longed for it,
schemed for it.

"Please keep your hand still!" she said.

"What?"

"It makes me nervous your doing that. Either hold my hand or don't hold
it."

"I don't understand. What was I doing?"

"Oh, never mind. I've always been straight with you. I don't know why
you are attacking me."

"I feel you are changing towards me. So I thought I'd tell you that I
don't intend to be driven out a second time by a child. It's better you
should know that. Then you won't attempt the impossible."

She looked into his sunken eyes.

"Jimmy has got to dislike you," she said. "It's unfortunate, but it
can't be helped. I don't know exactly why it is so. It may be because
he's older, just at the age when boys begin to understand about men and
women. You're not always quite so careful before him as you might be.
I don't mean in what you say, but in your manner. I think Jimmy fancies
you like me in a certain way. I think he probably took it into his head
that you were hanging about the garden that night because perhaps you
hoped to meet me there. A very little more and he might begin to suspect
me. You have been frank with me to-day. I'll be frank with you. I want
you to understand that if there ever was a question of my losing Jimmy's
love and respect I should fight to keep them, sacrifice anything to
keep them. Jimmy comes first with me, and always will. It couldn't be
otherwise. I prefer that you should know it."

He shot a glance at her that was almost cunning. She had been prepared
for a perhaps violent outburst, but he only said:

"Jimmy won't be here again for some time, so we needn't bother about
him."

She was genuinely surprised, but she did not show it.

"It was you who brought up the question," she said.

"Never mind. Don't worry about it. If Jimmy comes out for the summer
holidays----"

"He will, of course."

"Then I can go away from Buyukderer just for those few weeks."

"I----" She paused; then went on: "I must tell you that you mustn't come
to Buyukderer again this summer."

"Then you won't go there?"

"Of course I m