Page:Delight - de la Roche - 1926.djvu/106

 May peered up at her. "What's the matter, lovey? Did yer sigh or something?"

"No, May, I just swallowed a little lump that was in my throat."

"A lump! Not a homesick lump, was it, Delight?"

"N-no. It just comes there when I feel good and suddenly think of Gran."

"You're a rum little toad. Just you rivet your intentions on me, for you may not always 'ave me with you, see? Now, I'm goin' to tell you one thing, Jimmy is a good boy; you stick to 'im. 'E'll never 'arm you. It isn't in 'im. But steer clear of Bastien, and Lovering, and Kirke. . . . I do wish you'd have let Jimmy give you the ring 'e wanted to, 'stead of a watch and chain. Still the watch and chain'll cost 'im more, unless 'e gave you a diamond, and even some of them's not to be depended on to keep their shine against the wear and tear of life, and then there's no reason the ring shouldn't come later. . . . My advice is, get all the lasting things out o' men you can. Small, costly things like joolery that is easy to carry 'round, and can always be pawned, if necessary."

"Goodness, May, you're wise."

"I'd need ter be. I never 'ad anyone to advise me. I've allus 'ad to be my own traffic perliceman, and my own correspondence school, et cetera, and depend on no one. But you're different. You're a beauty. You can't nip around without bein' noticed sime as me. You needs guardin'."

They were swinging lightly along the pavement, arm locked in arm, in a secluded street, where the houses stood closely together near the pavement, with only a bit of lawn between. Sometimes the blinds of a window were up, revealing the interior of a cozy room, with people sit-