“For the time being,” said Ray, with reference to the name he had conferred upon her, when the sharpest edge of their hunger was blunted, “We are brother and sister to the obnoxious outside public. If you don’t want to be a sister to me you shall tell me so in private. It strikes me, my dear, that we may possibly not get home quite as quickly as they will be expecting over there.” “If you hadn’t come it looks as though I would never have got home at all. Oh, I _am_ so glad you came, Ray. What does it all mean, do you think?” “Mighty trouble all round, I fear. They are evidently mobilising here at top pressure. That means an attack on France. And what that may mean to us I can’t quite foresee.... We may have to get home through Italy.... But--Heavens and Earth!--Italy will be into it too. She’s bound to go in with Germany and Austria.... Do you know what _I_ think, my child?” “No, what? Anything to the point?” “Seems to me we may be bottled up here--that is in Switzerland, if we ever succeed in getting there--for the rest of our lives. What do you say to getting married as soon as we do get there--if ever, Miss--er--Luard,--and so regularising the position?” and he looked whimsically at her. “We’ll wait and see, as Mr. Asquith says,” she smiled. “If we really do get bottled up it may have to come to that.” “H’m! And I was hoping you’d jump at the chance!” “It’s rather sudden, you see, and a bit overwhelming. We’ve only been really engaged since yesterday morning....” “Oh ho! That so? But you knew all about it. Now didn’t you?” “A girl can never really know quite all about it, you know, until she is asked. She may know her own side of the matter----” “As you did.” “And she may have every confidence in--er--the other side----” “As you had.” “But----” “But me no buts, my child! I consider my idea an eminently sensible one. You think it over.... And consider all the advantages!--no fuss, no wedding-breakfast, no hideous publicity. Just a quiet wedding and right into the blissfullest honeymoon that ever was. Heavenly!” “Well, I’ll think it over, and we’ll see how we go on. What time do we start in the morning?” “There’s a train at 9.45, but it only goes as far as Feldkirch. And there’s a fast train at 1.15 which should land us in Zurich some time after 8.” “Let us take the 1.15, then we can have a good rest. I’m awfully tired.” “One-fifteen it is. And you don’t need to get up till ten,--eleven, if you like,” and he escorted her upstairs to her room. “Do brothers and sisters kiss at your house?” he whispered at the door. “They don’t at ours.” “Nor at ours,” and she put up her face to be kissed.