He looked exactly as he
had done on the previous day, he seemed even quite unconscious
that there was anything unusual in their relations. As soon as
they arrived at the station, he pointed to the ladies'
waiting-room.
"If you will go in and arrange your hair there," he said, "I will
go and order breakfast and have a shave. I will be back here in
about twenty minutes. You had better take this."
He offered her a shilling and she accepted it without hesitation.
As soon as he had gone, however, she looked at the coin in her
hand in blank wonder. She had accepted it from him with perfect
naturalness and without even saying "Thank you!" With a queer
little laugh, she pushed open the swinging doors and made her way
into the waiting-room.
In hardly more than a quarter of an hour she emerged, to find
Tavernake waiting for her. He had retied his tie, bought a fresh
collar, had been shaved. She, too, had improved her appearance.
"Breakfast is waiting this way," he announced.
She followed him obediently and they sat down at a small table in
the station refreshment-room.
"Mr. Tavernake," she asked, suddenly, "I must ask you something.
Has anything like this ever happened to you before?"
"Nothing," he assured her, with some emphasis.
"You seem to take everything so much as a matter of course," she
protested.
"Why not?"
"Oh, I don't know," she replied, a little feebly. "Only -"
She found relief in a sudden and perfectly natural laugh.
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