Page:Herbert Jenkins - The Rain Girl.djvu/183

 "God bless her for the first part of her judgment," he laughed; "Tan is one of the jewels of the human race."

"She seemed charming," agreed Lola.

"I must warn you against her, however," he said with mock-seriousness.

"Warn me?"

"She's a born match-maker. She's always marrying her friends off and" he paused dramatically.

"And what?" she enquired.

"They're always the right pairs. Tan never makes a mistake."

"I really don't understand you," she said after a long pause, "or what you are going to do when—when" she hesitated.

"Oh, there are many ways of shuffling-off," he smiled.

"Suppose" she began, then hesitated.

"Yes, suppose?"

"Suppose you meant something to someone else, and that your shuffling-off, as you call it, would pain them, perhaps more than pain them, what then?"

"If you refer to Aunt Caroline, I can assure you that you are wrong," he said, with a laugh that even to himself sounded unnatural.

Lola flashed him a reproachful look, but said nothing. For some moments she remained silent, her head turned away.

"I'm sorry," he said contritely; but still she averted her head.

"Please don't be cross with me," he said, bending