"That? Oh, that was only his conceit. You know I always do talk to people in railway carriages and things. I suppose he thought it was only him I talked to." "And the name?" "I--I thought if I said my name was Susannah he wouldn't get sentimental." "You 'took a false name to deceive him'?" "Don't--oh, don't!" "And the tobacco shop?" "Ah--that rankles?" She raised her head to look at him. "Not it," he answered coolly. "I simply don't believe it." "Why? But you're quite right. It was a woman in my district in London, and I took the shop for her for three days, because her husband was dying, and she couldn't get any one else to help her. It was--it was rather fun--and--and----" "And you wouldn't tell me about it, because you didn't want me to know how proud you were of it." "Proud? Ah, you do understand things! The man died, and I had given her those three days with him. I wasn't proud, was I?--only glad that I could. So glad--so glad!" "But you let my brother think----" "Oh yes, I let him think it was my trade; I thought it might make him not be silly. You see, I always knew he couldn't understand things." "Celia?" "Yes?" "And have you really forgiven me?" "Yes, yes, I forgive you! But I never should have if---- There's mother at the front door. Let me go. I want to let her in myself." "If?" "Let me go. If----" "If?" "If you hadn't understood and----" "Yes?" "If you hadn't come back to me!" XII WHILE IT IS YET DAY "And is it really true? Are you going to govern the Fortunate Islands?" "I am, indeed--or rather, to be accurate, I am going to deputy-govern them--I mean, father is--for a year." "A whole year!" he said, looking down at her fan. "What will London do without you?" "London will do excellently," she answered--"and that's my pet fan, and it's not used to being tied into knots." She took it from him. "And what shall I do without you?" "Oh! laugh and rhyme and dance and dine. You'll go out to the proper number of dinners and dances, and make the proper measure of pretty little speeches and nice little phrases; and you'll do your reviews, and try to make them as like your editor's as you can; and you'll turn out your charming little rondeaux and triolets, and the year will simply fly. Heigho! I'm glad I'm going to see something big, if it's only the Atlantic." "You are very cruel," he said. "Am I? But it's not cruel to be cruel if nobody's hurt, is it? And I am so tired of nice little verses and pretty little dances and dainty little dinners. Oh, if I were only a man!" "Thank God you're not!" said he. "If I were a man, I would do just one big thing in my life, even if I had to settle down to a life of snippets and trifles afterwards." Her eyes were shining. They always glittered, but now they were starry. The drifted white folds across her breast stirred to her quickened breath. "If you loved me, Sybil, I could do something great!" said he.