Next day he wrote a note, and two mornings later he started for his mathematical duffers an hour before it was absolutely necessary, and instead of going directly to Vigours', went over the bridge to Battersea Park. There waiting for him by a seat where once they had met before, he found Miss Heydinger pacing. They walked up and down side by side, speaking for a little while about indifferent topics, and then they came upon a pause ...
"You have something to tell me?" said Miss Heydinger abruptly.
Lewisham changed colour a little. "Oh yes," he said; "the fact is--" He affected ease. "Did I ever tell you I was married?"
For a moment neither spoke. Lewisham stood without dignity staring at the dahlias of the London County Council, and Miss Heydinger stood regarding him.
Mr. Lewisham tamed and met her eyes. "Yes!" he said. "That is what I have to tell you."
Pause. "Do you mind if I sit down?" asked Miss Heydinger in an indifferent tone.
"There is a seat yonder," said Lewisham, "under the tree."
"Now," said Miss Heydinger, quietly. "Tell me whom you have married."
Lewisham answered sketchily. She asked him another question and another. He felt stupid and answered with a halting truthfulness.
"I might have known," she said, "I might have known. Only I would not know. Tell me some more. Tell me about her."
Lewisham did. The whole thing was abominably disagreeable to him, but it had to be done, he had promised Ethel it should be done. Presently Miss Heydinger knew the main outline of his story, knew all his story except, the emotion that made it credible. "And you were married--before the second examination?" she repeated.
"But why did you not tell me of this before?" asked Miss Heydinger.
"I don't, know," said Lewisham. "I wanted to--that day, in Kensington Gardens. But I didn't. I suppose I ought to have done so."
"Yes, I suppose I ought ... But I didn't. Somehow--it has been hard. I didn't know what you would say. The thing seemed so rash, you know, and all that."
"I suppose you had to do it," said Miss Heydinger presently, with her eyes on his profile.
Lewisham began the second and more difficult part of his explanation. "There's been a difficulty," he said, "all the way along--I mean--about you, that is. It's a little difficult--The fact is, my life, you know--She looks at things differently from what we do."