Part 10 (1/2)
”H' hereDoes _everybody_ call you Eric?”
”You're well placed to answer that Now, Lady Barbara, re!”
The act was played a second ti form and life as all warmed to their work Eric watched with critical narrowed eyes, no longer scattering pencil-in of the script, restrained, impassive and absorbed Barbara sat with her hands clasped round her ankles and her head resting against his knee Only when the act was ended did he seeed away and stood up
”Better! Very much better! Just turn to the place where----” He rustled back into the h to the curtain
Half-an-hour later Barbara eed into sunshi+ne Eric was tired and rather husky, but pleased and hopeful His earlier irritability was forgotten save when it obtruded itself reproachfully to reirl by his side
”The next thing is a taxi,” he murmured, as they came out into Shaftesbury Avenue
”You wouldn't dreaested
”I would not, Lady Barbara,” he answered cheerfully ”Your practice of visiting young unmarried men in their rooms should be promptly checked
But I'll drop you in Berkeley Square, if you like”
”That would be more--respectable It's curious how you see I ask you”
”It doesn't seem toand smiled self-confidently for a moment Then her assurance left her, and she slipped her ar a nuisance, Eric? You said so, and--oh, it _did_ hurt! I honestly enjoyed myself this afternoon; and I wasn't so very much in the as I? Don't you like me to enjoy myself? Don't you like to see me happy? Are you sure you're not a little bit sorry you were so brutal to me?”
”My conscience is quite easy, thanks Lady Barbara----”
He hesitated and felt hi
”Yes?”
”Lady Barbara--, I don't understand you, I don't begin to understand you”
”You won't write a good play till you do,” she laughed ”All your women are romantic dolls We're much better and much worse than you think But that wasn't what you started to say”
”I knowWell, you oughtn't to have cohtn't to have coh that wasn't as bad
What d'you iine Mabel Elstree thinks, when you sit with your head against my knee?”
She withdrew her ar
”I' you with your friends,” she said at length
”And whether you compromise yourself doesn't hed; then, with one of her April changes, the sigh turned into a provocative laugh ”If _you_ don'tcompromised by _me_, I'd ood All you have to do is to fall in love with me----”
”I shan't have the opportunity,” he interrupted ”We ht at Mrs Shelley's----”
”And ere so _positive_ that eren't going!” she ain?”
Eric hailed a passing taxi