Page:The Painted Veil - Maugham - 1925.djvu/275

 and courteous as ever, he had finally seen her off. It amused her to think of the politeness with which, while they shook hands and he wished her a pleasant journey, she would thank him for his hospitality. But she saw his expression change.

“Dorothy tells me you’re going to have a baby,” he said.

She felt herself colour, but she allowed no gesture to escape her.

“I am.”

“Am I by any chance the father?”

“No, no. It’s Walter’s child.”

She spoke with an emphasis which she could not prevent, but even as she spoke she knew that it was not the tone with which to carry conviction.

“Are you quite sure?” He was now roguishly smiling. “After all, you were married to Walter a couple of years and nothing happened. The dates seem to fit all right. I think it’s much more likely to be mine than Walter’s.”

“I would rather kill myself than have a child of yours.”

“Oh, come now, that’s nonsense. I should be awfully pleased and proud. I’d like it to be a girl, you know. I’ve only had boys with Dorothy. You won’t be able to be in doubt very long, you know: my three kiddies are absolutely the living image of me.”

He had regained his good humour and she knew why. If the child was his, though she might never see him again, she could never entirely escape him.