Part 49 (1/2)
”Take a sip of this,” he ordered
She drank obediently and thanked him with her eyes
”I' in the train Before I knew youAnd I loved you and dreamed of your love for me I used to hear your voiceNo one will ever look after me as you've done; no one will ever understand or love or make allowances for me----”
As he restored the flask to his pocket, Eric saw that the tiht; in less than twenty-four hours he would be at Liverpool; in less than twenty-fourthat was dearest to him in life
”Barbara, you've seen Jack,” he said ”He had his chance; he neglected it There's the anse've been waiting for all these weary months I don't want to worry you when you're ill, but I can't charge e that I've left undone anything which will stop the present tragedy”
Though she opened her eyes slowly, there was now no trace of faintness or exhaustion
”He never had a chance! Eric, if you'll think for oneall round----”
”He could have written the moment he left Germany He could have written or seen you any tiht itself he could have asked you to let hier! And you still hypnotize yourself with one excuse after another--Howon?”
”I don't know, Eric” She covered her eyes for a moment and then rose to her feet ”I'm bound in honour, as I've told you a hundred ti you knoill have to be known to-night”
”But if you found a cable waiting for you in New York----”
”It would tell me what I know already--plus the fact that your vanity had been convinced in spite of itself”
”I prefer 'honour' to 'vanity'”
”Hadn't we better leave 'honour' out of the discussion?”
She looked at hi his ar slowly eastward Opposite Bath House Eric hailed an empty taxi and told the driver to take them to Berkeley Square
”You wouldn't like me to drop you in Ryder Street?” Barbara asked
”Not even to gratify your love of artistic finish”
”How you hate me!” she whispered with a catch in her breath
”No, I love you as much as ever; I need you more than ever Whatever happens to you, I wish you all happiness You once undertook my education, but I can tell you that you'll never find the happiness I' you till you learn to sink yourself and think of other people”
Barbara looked at him like a startled animal, then looked away
”Haven't I sunk ht of Jack before any one else for two and a half years?” she whispered
”No, you've thought solely of yourself--with Jack as a li less of Jack or me than of your _amour propre_”