"I do. You asked me how it takes _me_. It takes me by stages. Gradual, insidious stages. In the first stage I'm happy, because it feels nice. In the second I'm terrified. In the third I'm angry and I turn round and stamp. Hard." "Ridiculous baby. With _those_ feet?" "When those feet have done stamping there isn't much left to squirm, I can tell you." "Let's look at them." Laura lifted the hem of her skirt and revealed the marvel and absurdity of her feet. "And they," said Nina, "stamped on George Tanqueray." "It wasn't half as difficult as it looks." "You're a wonderful Kiddy, but you don't know what passion is, and you may thank your stars you don't." "I might know quite a lot," said Laura, "if it wasn't for Papa. Papa's a perfect safeguard against passion. I know beforehand that as long as he's there, passion isn't any good. You see," she explained, "it's so simple. I wouldn't marry anybody who wouldn't live with Papa. And nobody would marry me if he had to." "I see. Is it very bad?" "Pretty bad. He dreams and dreams _and_ dreams." "Won't that ever be better?" Laura shook her head. "It may be worse. There are things--that I'm afraid of." "What things, Kiddy, what things?" "Oh! I don't know----" "How on earth do you go on?" "I shut my eyes. And I sit tight. And I go." "Poor Kiddy. You give me a pain." "I'm quite happy. I'm working like ten horses to get things done while I can." She smiled indomitably. "I'm glad Tanks didn't care for me. I couldn't have let him in for all these--horrors. As for his marrying--I didn't want you to have him because he wouldn't have been good for you, but I _did_ want Jinny to." "And you don't mind--now?" "There are so many things to mind. It's one nail driving out another." "It's all the nails being hammered in at once, into your little coffin," said Nina. She drew closer to her, she put her arms round her and kissed her. "Oh, don't! _Don't_ be sorry for me. I'm all right." She broke from Nina's hand that still caressed her. "I am, really," she said. "I like Jinny better than anybody in the world except you and Tanks. And I like Nina better than all the Tankses that ever were." ("Nice Kiddy," Nina whispered into Laura's hair.) "And now Tanks is married, he can't take you away from me." "Nobody else can," said Nina. "We've stuck together. And we'll stick." XV