He scrambled to the seat opposite his captors and
rashly spoke. Well, my name at any rate, she burst out, is Audrey Rushworth. The
Professor of Romance Languages sat fascinated by the consequences ofhis last
blunder.
The young ladies with Lady Beausedge were visibly
her daughters. He saw other faces that heldbenevolence at bay.
A new difficulty had only just occurred to him.
Godfrey, in fresh agony,turned again to interrogate the row of houses along the
quay.
But the run to London had brought him into closer
contact withthem.
How lucky to have been able to save so much! What a
wonderful place, and what a miracle to have been thus carried intothe very heart of
it! Her insignificance was complete, and he decided that he hadprobably been her
last expedient. The woman, shading acandle, beckoned him to follow her to a room
with shuttered windows. Eventhat was something to be thankful for; but now he began
to ask himself ifit were enough.
And who was he, after all, that any of the
revellers should give him athought?
Visions of conspiracy and betrayal flashed through
the boys mind. The speaker broke off with a laugh of triumph, and wipedaway her
tears. He stared at the fortress in anagony of dread and conjecture.
Theyhad all ridden out with their lord, and the
room was empty, and open tothe stars. When he was in her presence nothing seemed
memorable orremarkable except the fact that she existed. He leaned andgazed,
forgetting her and himself in an ecstasy of assimilation.
But the run to London had brought him into closer
contact withthem. What a wonderful place, and what a miracle to have been thus
carried intothe very heart of it! He had heard, of course, that in the
highestsociety the laxity was even worse.
After all, he was not a monster, and several ladies
hadalready attempted to prove it to him.
Eventhat was something to be thankful for; but now
he began to ask himself ifit were enough.
And of course for a married woman its alwayseasier,
isnt it? With theseforeign women you could never tell: his brief continental
experiences hadtaught him that. She was hatless, with a palescarf over her head, and
a pink spot of excitement on each faded cheek.
Theres nothing new inthat: they always have. She
poured the tea, and pushed his cup to him.
The eldest girls broke into an excited
laugh.
She poured the tea, and pushed his cup to him.