"That's for some one with more experience than I have, to tell you. You should ask Mr. Britling." "I'd rather have it from you." "I don't even know for myself," she said. "So why shouldn't we start to find out together?" he asked. It was her tantalising habit to ignore all such tentatives. "One can't help the feeling that one is in the world for something more than oneself," she said.... Section 8 Soon Mr. Direck could measure the time that was left to him at the Dower House no longer by days but by hours. His luggage was mostly packed, his tickets to Rotterdam, Cologne, Munich, Dresden, Vienna, were all in order. And things were still very indefinite between him and Cecily. But God has not made Americans clean-shaven and firm-featured for nothing, and he determined that matters must be brought to some sort of definition before he embarked upon travels that were rapidly losing their attractiveness in this concentration of his attention.... A considerable nervousness betrayed itself in his voice and manner when at last he carried out his determination. "There's just a lil' thing," he said to her, taking advantage of a moment when they were together after lunch, "that I'd value now more than anything else in the world." She answered by a lifted eyebrow and a glance that had not so much inquiry in it as she intended. "If we could just take a lil' walk together for a bit. Round by Claverings Park and all that. See the deer again and the old trees. Sort of scenery I'd like to remember when I'm away from it." He was a little short of breath, and there was a quite disproportionate gravity about her moment for consideration. "Yes," she said with a cheerful acquiescence that came a couple of bars too late. "Let's. It will be jolly." "These fine English afternoons are wonderful afternoons," he remarked after a moment or so of silence. "Not quite the splendid blaze we get in our summer, but--sort of glowing." "It's been very fine all the time you've been here," she said.... After which exchanges they went along the lane, into the road by the park fencing, and so to the little gate that lets one into the park, without another word. The idea took hold of Mr. Direck's mind that until they got through the park gate it would be quite out of order to say anything. The lane and the road and the stile and the gate were all so much preliminary stuff to be got through before one could get to business. But after the little white gate the way was clear, the park opened out and one could get ahead without bothering about the steering. And Mr. Direck had, he felt, been diplomatically involved in lanes and by-ways long enough.