“No, it wouldn’t. We’d be shown off as the happy married pair to your mother’s friends, and our sufferings would be dreadful. Besides, it’ll be easier for you to adjust yourself temporarily to their prejudices if you don’t have the sensation of a satirical me watching you.” So Elizabeth went by herself, and George remained alone in London. He always missed Elizabeth frightfully when she went away, but instead of going out and amusing himself, he stayed in and tried to pass the time by overworking. By the evening of the fifth day, he was thoroughly fed up. He decided to go out and ring up various friends in turn, until he found some one to have dinner with him. He had just finished washing and was putting on a clean collar, when some one knocked at the door of his studio. “Half a minute,” shouted George, “I’m dressing. Who is it?” The door opened, and in came Fanny, wearing a charming new dress and a gay wide-brimmed hat with a large feather in it. “Why, Fanny! How good to see you, and how lovely you look!” They kissed affectionately. Fanny sat down on the bed. “I’ve come to be taken out to dinner. If you think you’re doing anything else, you’re mistaken. You’ll have to ring up and say you can’t come.” “As a matter of fact, I was on the point of going out to find somebody to dine with me, so your coming is a godsend.” “How’s Elizabeth?” “She’s all right. I got a letter from her this morning. She’s with her parents, you know.” “Yes, I know. How long’ll she be away?” “Another ten days. Poor darling, she sounds awfully bored already.” “And what are you doing?” “Oh, fighting the lone hand here. Do you want to see the picture I’m finishing?” And George dragged round an easel with a large canvas on it, into the light. “But it’s good, George! It’s got great qualities of energy and design.” “You don’t think it’s too hard and angular?” “No, not a bit. It’s excellent. By far the best thing you’ve done.” And Fanny jumped up from the bed, put her arm around George, and kissed him again. For the first time her lips were not cool, shut and sisterly, but warm and open and delicious—the lips of an accomplice. The sudden flicker of warm desire awoke in George’s flesh, and he felt his heart leap and the blood flush to his face. He held her to him, and pressed eager firm lips to her soft yielding mouth. For a few seconds she seemed to resist, and made as if to thrust him from her. He held her more closely, and suddenly her stiffened body yielded delicately, moulded itself to his, her head moved slowly backwards with closed eyes. Between the moist velvet of her lips he felt on his the exquisite caress of a gentle tongue-tip. George gently laid his hand on her left breast, and felt the rapid beating of her heart. She softly drew away her lips and looked at him. “Fanny! Fanny!” Her gem-like eyes, now all flower-like, looked at him. “Fanny! Most dear Fanny! I must have loved you a long time without knowing it.”