She nodded again. It was always easy to tell Adrian. He didn’t push, and he didn’t fuss, and he didn’t try to make you say what you didn’t mean. A momentary colour came into her face. Her eyes fell.

‘I don’t like being touched-’

‘My dear child!’

He was too deeply disturbed and concerned to keep the sound of it out of his voice.

She took his hand in both of hers and held it with a kind of quivering intensity.

‘I can’t bear it-with almost anyone. Even with Bill I didn’t like it when he really kissed me-and I’m fond of Bill-I really am.’

‘Bill Waring?’

She nodded. Her eyes were brimming over.

‘Aunt Sybil said we weren’t engaged. It wasn’t given out- because he was going to America. And she said, “Wait till he comes back.” Only he didn’t write. Ray says he was in hospital -he’d had an accident. And she wanted me to meet his train- but I couldn’t, could I? Only afterwards I thought if I had, perhaps I wouldn’t have had to marry Herbert.’

‘Don’t you want to marry him?’

Her clasp became agonized. Her ‘Oh, no-’ came on a long sighing breath.

‘But, my poor child, why did you ever say you would?’

‘She made me-Aunt Sybil.’

‘But, Lila-’

‘She can make you do anything. It’s not only me. She pushes and pushes until you just can’t go on saying no.’ She looked up at him very piteously. ‘Why does she want me to marry him?’

‘I don’t know, Lila. But no one can make you do it if you don’t want to.’

She let go of his hand as suddenly as she had caught at it.

‘You don’t understand.’

The tired, hopeless tone wrung his heart. He had to wait a moment before he said,

‘Lila-listen! Tell Lady Dryden, and tell Whitall, that you want a little more time. It isn’t usual for an engagement and a wedding to be run together in a few weeks. I don’t think they would like any talk about it, and if you said you felt you were being rushed, I don’t see how they could refuse to give you more time.’