ugh at my expansion!

I wonder how many men are romantic underneath like I am and ashamed to
show it?

When Alathea had finished the verses for the second time, she again
dropped the book in her lap.

"What is your conception of love?" I asked casually.

"As I shall always have to crush it out of my life from now onward I
would rather not contemplate what my conception of it might have been."

"Why must you crush it out?" I asked blandly. "Your fidelity to me was
not part of the bargain, fidelity has to do with the sex relationships,
which do not concern us. One would not ask a secretary to become a nun,
on account of one. One would only ask her to behave decently, so as not
to shock the world's idea of the situation she was supposed to be
filling."

Her face grew subtle, a look came into the eyes which might have come
into George's or mine. I suddenly realized how well she really knows the
world from the hard school the circumstances of her life have caused her
to learn in.

"Then I may take a lover, some day, should I desire to?" she asked a
little cynically.

"Certainly, if you tell me about it and don't deceive me, or make me
look ridiculous. The bargain would be too unfair to you at your age
otherwise."

She looked straight into my eye now and hers were a little fierce.

"And you--shall you take a mistress?"

I watched the smoke of my cigarette curling.

"Possibly," I answered lazily, as though the matter were too much a
foregone conclusion to discuss. "Should you mind?"

A faint movement showed in her throat as if she had stopped herself
swallowing. She looked down. I know she finds it very difficult to lie,
and could not possibly do so if we were gazing at each other.

"Why should I mind?"

"No of course, why should you?"

She looked up then, but not at me. Her eyes flashed and her lip curled
in contempt.

"Two seems vulgar though," she snapped.

"I agree with you, the idea wounds my aesthetic senses."

"Then we need not expect another--in the flat just yet?"

At last it was out!

I appeared not to understand, and smoked on calmly, and before I could
answer the telephone rang. She handed me the instrument, and I said
"Hello." It was Coralie! She spoke very distinctly, and Alathea, who was
near, must have been able to hear most of the words in the silence.

"Nicholas, I am going to be by myself this evening, you will have a
dinner for me? Just us alone, _hein?_"

I permitted my face