. Longdon will at any rate, you imply, be somehow
interested--"

"In MY interests? Of course--since he has gone so far. You expressed
surprise at my wanting to wait and think; but how can I not wait and not
think when so much depends on the question--now so definite--of how much
further he WILL go?"

"I see," said Mitchy, profoundly impressed. "And how much does that
depend on?"

She had to reflect. "On how much further I, for my part, MUST!"

Mitchy's grasp was already complete. "And he's coming then to learn from
you how far this is?"

"Yes--very much."

Mitchy looked about for his hat. "So that of course I see my time's
about up, as you'll want to be quite alone together."

Nanda glanced at the clock. "Oh you've a margin yet."

"But you don't want an interval for your thinking--?"

"Now that I've seen you?" Nanda was already very obviously thoughtful.

"I mean if you've an important decision to take."

"Well," she returned, "seeing you HAS helped me."

"Ah but at the same time worried you. Therefore--" And he picked up his
umbrella.

Her eyes rested on its curious handle. "If you cling to your idea that
I'm frightened you'll be disappointed. It will never be given you to
reassure me."

"You mean by that that I'm primarily so solid--!"

"Yes, that till I see you yourself afraid--!"

"Well?"

"Well, I won't admit that anything isn't exactly what I was prepared
for."

Mitchy looked with interest into his hat. "Then what is it I'm to
'leave' to you?" After which, as she turned away from him with a
suppressed sound and said, while he watched her, nothing else, "It's no
doubt natural for you to talk," he went on, "but I do make you nervous.
Good-bye--good-bye."

She had stayed him, by a fresh movement, however, as he reached the
door. "Aggie's only trying to find out--!"

"Yes--what?" he asked, waiting.

"Why what sort of a person she is. How can she ever have known? It was
carefully, elaborately hidden from her--kept so obscure that she could
make out nothing. She isn't now like ME."

He wonderingly attended. "Like you?"

"Why I get the benefit of the fact that there was never a time when I
didn't know SOMETHING or other, and that I became more and more aware,
as I grew older, of a hundred little chinks of daylight."

Mitchy stared. "You're stupendous, my dear!" he murmured.

Ah but she kept it up. "_I_ had my idea about Aggie."

"Oh don't I know you had? And how you were positive about