en, and because a man had
made one of them cry. And Martin suddenly realized that all these girls
were against him as much as though it were six months ago. And he swung
his feet and looked as though he didn't care, so that Joan knew he was
feeling rather sheepish inside, and held his hand a little tighter.

Then Joscelyn, who had the loveliest brown, as Joan had the loveliest
blue, eyes in England, lifted her young head and looked at Martin so
defiantly through her tears that he knew she had given up the game at
last; and he pressed Joan's hand for all he was worth, and began to
look ashamed of himself, so that Joan knew he had stopped feeling
sheepish in the least. And Joscelyn, in a voice that shook like
birch-leaves, said, "I don't want it to end like that."

Martin: Dear Mistress Joscelyn, is it my fault? I promised you the
truth, and with your help I have told it.

Joscelyn: How dare you say it's with my help? If I had my way--!

Martin: You shall have it. We will leave the end of the story in your
hands.

Joscelyn: I won't have anything to do with it!

Martin: Then I'm afraid it's your fault.

Joscelyn: That's what a man always says!

Martin: Did he?

Joscelyn: Yes, he did! he said it was Eve's fault.

Martin: So it was.

Joscelyn: How dare you!

Martin: He said nothing but the truth. And what did you say?

Joscelyn: I said it was Adam's fault.

Martin: So it was. YOU said nothing but the truth.

Joscelyn: How could it be two people's fault?

Martin: How could it be anything else? Oh, Joscelyn! there are two
things in this world that one person alone cannot bring to perfection.
And one of them is a fault. It takes two people to make a perfect
fault. Eve tempted Adam; and Adam was jolly glad to get tempted if he
was half as sensible as he ought to have been. And Eve knew it. And
Adam let her know it. And if after that she had not tempted him he
would never have forgiven her. When it came to fault-making they
understood each other perfectly. And between them they made the most
perfect fault in the world.

Joscelyn: (after a very long pause): You said there were two things.

Martin: Two things?

Joscelyn: That one person alone can't bring to perfection.

Martin: Did I?

Joscelyn: What is the other thing?

Martin: Love. Isn't it?

Joscelyn: How dare you ask me?

Martin: I dare ask more than that. Joscelyn, how old are you?

Joscelyn: I sha'n't tell you.

Martin: Joscelyn, you are th