Lucy was silent for a moment. There was a sort of clatter in Edward’s mind during her silence. “Where’s—Emily—where’s—Emily-where’s Emily,” with the hurried insistence of a telegraphic tapper. In a second it would be silenced by some tremendous fact about Emily. “Emily’s gone.” Yes, there was silence now in Edward’s mind. “Whaddyer mean—gone?” asked Stone, ceasing for a few seconds to chew his gum. “She left—I think for Shanghai. She didn’t like it much here. The climate ... the fighting....” “Did you drive her away?” asked Edward. Lucy would not answer this. She would not say anything sincere or even hear anything sincere. She was afraid of nakedness. “We were sorry to lose her ... in a way,” she said, fixing alarmed eyes on Edward. “But her health became so bad we could not press her to stay with us.” “Did you drive her away?” There was a bridge of hate between her eyes and Edward’s. “Tam valued her services as secretary so much. He says he can hardly get on without her.” She would not say anything real. She was like a martyr, steeped in an ecstasy of pretence, refusing to recant. “Well, isn’t this astonishing,” said the exaggerated voice of Tam. “Wonder upon wonder. First a mouse eats a hole in my bedroom slippers and then we are invaded by Californians. All in one day. I forget your name—” (this to Edward) “—but I know I love you, as it were. As for you, Stone—ever find those rainbow pants?” This was evidently a joke, but Stone did not laugh. Edward was surprised that he remembered Tam so well. “I must have thought a great deal about him without knowing it.” Tam looked excited and unkempt. He had begun to grow a beard. The falling lock of hair across his low, nervously wrinkled forehead gave him a primitive and rather barbarous look. “Oh, I know ... I’m always ten minutes late in an emergency, but I know now. You’re Edward, the man that Emily talked about.” “What did she say?” asked Edward huskily. “She said you were in love with her and wished there were more like you. Are you in love with her?” His frankness was an affectation as was Lucy’s restraint. He had a wide-mouthed, insolent way of saying these things. “Where is she now?” asked Edward. “Oh, I see.” Tam’s voice was deliberately childlike and naïve. “You’re one of these people who think it’s immodest to mention love. Well, well, Stone and I discuss everything we think of, from God to indigestion, don’t we, old man?” He threw his arm round the impassive Stone’s neck. “Emily’s in Shanghai, we believe. Lucy sacked her because Emily declared her love for me.” Lucy went quickly out of the room, letting no-one see her face. How shocking. How shocking. Emily’s light defences of brave, witty dignity were torn down so easily. Emily was humiliated in the sight of the humiliated Edward.