'Mrs. Freddy said if I told you the children were in the garden expecting you, you wouldn't have the heart to go away directly.'
'She is right. I _haven't_ the heart.' And in that lifting of his cloud, the girl's own face shone an instant.
'I should 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 _tête-à-tête_. 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.'
'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.'
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.
'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.'
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.
She shook her head. 'It doesn't sound the same.'
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?'