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By Root 5772 0

at the window clasp. But Eddie whistled twice, so that she had to face him. By now, he had twirled the string round his finger so tight that the flesh, with its varnish of nicotine, stood out in ridges between. His eyes held behind their brightness a warning tense look, as though the end of the world were coming. Instinctively putting up one hand to her cheek, she looked at his teeth showing between his lips. He said: "Well?"

"Why did you hold Daphne's hand?"

"When do you mean?"

"At the cinema."

"Oh, that. Because, you see, I have to get off with people."

"Why?"

"Because I cannot get on with them, and that makes me so mad. Yes, I noticed you gave me rather a funny look."

"You mean, that time you smiled at me? Were you holding her hand then?"

Eddie thought. "Yes, I would have been, I expect. Were you worried? I thought you cut off rather early to bed. But I thought you always knew I was like that. I like touching, you know."

"But I have never been there."

"No, I suppose you haven't." He looked down and unwound the string from his finger. "No, you haven't, have you," he said much more affably.

"Was that what you meant on the beach when you said you never knew how you might behave?"

"And you shot back and wrote it down, I suppose?

I thought I had told you not to write down anything about me?"

"No, Eddie, it's not in my diary. You only said it yesterday, after tea."

"Anyhow, what you mean is not what I'd call behaving—it's not even as important as that. It didn't mean anything new."

"But it did to me."

"Well, I can't help that," he said, smiling reasonably. "I can't help the way you are."

"I knew something was happening before Dickie moved his lighter. I knew from the way you smiled."

"For such a little girl, you know, you're neurotic."

"I'm not such a little girl. You once spoke of marrying me."

"Only because you were such a little girl."

"That it didn't matter?"

"No, and I also thought you were the one person who didn't take other people's completely distorted views. But now you're like any girl at the seaside, always watching and judging, trying to piece me together into something that isn't there. You make me—"

"Yes, but why did you hold Daphne's hand?"

"I just felt matey."

"But... I mean... You knew me better."

Eddie's metallic mood broke up, or completely changed. He went across the room to the wall cupboard that he had fixed his eyes on, and carefully latched it. Then he looked round the room as though he had stayed here, and were about to remove his last belongings. He picked up his dead match and dropped it into the grate. Then he said vaguely: "Come on; let's go down."

"But did you hear what I said?"

"Of course I did. You're always so sweet, darling."

Going downstairs brought them one floor nearer the mild sound of the sea. Eddie stepped into the drawing-room for another look round. The margin of floor round where there had been a carpet was stained with reddish varnish, and in the woodwork over the bow window was a hook from which a birdcage must have hung.

Through the window the sea light shone on Eddie's face as he turned quickly and said, in his lightest and gentlest way: "I can't tell you how bad I feel. It was only my bit of fun. I honestly didn't think you'd bother to notice, darling—or, that if you did, you'd ever think twice of it. You and I know each other, and you know how silly I am. But if it really upset you, of course it was awful of me. You really mustn't be hurt, or I shall wish I was dead. This is just one more of the ways I keep on and on making trouble. I know I oughtn't to say so, when I've just said I was sorry, but really, darling, it was such a small thing. I mean, you just ask old Daphne. It's simply the way most people have to get on."

"No, I couldn't ask Daphne."

"Then take it from me."

"But, Eddie, they thought you were my friend. I was so proud because they all thought that."

"But darling, if I hadn't wanted to see you would I have come all this way and broken all those dates? You know I love you: don't be so silly. All I wanted was to be with you at the