England -- Fiction; Man-woman relationships -- Fiction; Mothers and daughters -- Fiction; Paris (France) -- Fiction; Women -- Fiction
The yacht approached the Flank buoy dead slow, scarcely stemming the tide.
The Moze punt was tied up to the buoy, and Aguilar held a lantern on a
boathook, while Jane Foley, very wet, was doing a spell of baling. Aguilar
dropped the boathook and, casting off, brought the punt alongside the
yacht. The steps were lowered and Jane Foley, with laughing, rain-sprinkled
face, climbed up. Aguilar handed her bag which contained nearly everything
she possessed on earth. She and Audrey kissed calmly, and Audrey presented
Mr. Gilman to a suddenly shy Jane. In the punt Miss Foley had been seen to
take an affectionate leave of Aguilar. She now leaned over the rail.
"Good-bye!" she said, with warmth. "Thanks ever so much. It's been
splendid. I do hope you won't be too wet. Can you row all the way home?"
She shivered.
"I shall go back on the tide, Miss Foley," answered Aguilar.
He touched his cap to Audrey, mumbled gloomily a salutation, and loosed his
hold on the yacht; and at once the punt felt the tide and began to glide
away in the darkness towards Moze. The yacht's engine quickened. Flank buoy
faded.
Mr. Gilman and the two girls made a group.
"You're wonderful! You really are!" said Mr. Gilman, addressing apparently
the pair of them. He was enthusiastic. ... He added with grandeur, "And
now for France!"
"I do hope Mr. Hurley is still hanging about Moze," said Audrey. "Mr.
Gilman, shall I show Miss Foley her cabin? She's rather wet."
"Oh, do! Oh, do, please! But don't forget that we are to have supper
together. I insist on supper."
And Audrey thought: "How agreeable he is! How kind-hearted! He hasn't got
any 'career' to worry about, and I adore him, and he's as simple as
knitting."
CHAPTER XXXIX
THE IMMINENT DRIVE
"Oh!" cried Miss Thompkins. "You can see it from here. It's funny how
unreal it seems, isn't it?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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