She went to him and sat down by him, smoothing his hair from his forehead, kissing him, her attitude tender, suggesting tears, her movements impulsive, as if with a self-reproach she would not acknowledge, but which she must silence with lavish tenderness. He drew her to him, and they remained quiet for some time, till it grew dark. The noise of my mother stirring in the next room disturbed them. Lettie rose, and he also got up from the couch. “I suppose,” he said, “I shall have to go home and get bathed and dressed—though,” he added in tones which made it clear he did not want to go, “I shall have to get back in the morning—I don’t know what they’ll say.” “At any rate,” she said, “You could wash here——” “But I must get out of these clothes—and I want a bath.” “You could—you might have some of Cyril’s clothes—and the water’s hot. I know. At all events, you can stay to supper——” “If I’m going I shall have to go soon—or they’d not like it, if I go in late;—they have no idea I’ve come;—they don’t expect me till next Monday or Tuesday——” “Perhaps you could stay here—and they needn’t know.” They looked at each other with wide, smiling eyes—like children on the brink of a stolen pleasure. “Oh, but what would your mother think!—no, I’ll go.” “She won’t mind a bit.” “Oh, but——” “I’ll ask her.” He wanted to stay far more than she wished it, so it was she who put down his opposition and triumphed. My mother lifted her eyebrows, and said very quietly: “He’d better go home—and be straight.” “But look how he’d feel—he’d have to tell them . . . and how would he feel! It’s really my fault, in the end. Don’t be piggling and mean and Grundyish, Matouchka.” “It is neither meanness nor grundyishness——” “Oh, Ydgrun, Ydgrun——!” exclaimed Lettie, ironically. “He may certainly stay if he likes,” said mother, slightly nettled at Lettie’s gibe. “All right, Mutterchen—and be a sweetling, do!” Lettie went out a little impatient at my mother’s unwillingness, but Leslie stayed, nevertheless. In a few moments Lettie was up in the spare bedroom, arranging and adorning, and Rebecca was running with hot-water bottles, and hurrying down with clean bed-clothes. Lettie hastily appropriated my best brushes—which she had given me—and took the suit of pajamas of the thinnest, finest flannel—and discovered a new tooth-brush—and made selections from my shirts and handkerchiefs and underclothing—and directed me which suit to lend him. Altogether I was astonished, and perhaps a trifle annoyed, at her extraordinary thoughtfulness and solicitude.