II + 

They woke from a happy dream. тАЬOh! Vernon, I believe weтАЩve been here ages!тАЭ + 

Conscience-stricken they hurried to the trapdoor. On the landing below, Vernon surveyed Nell anxiously. + 

тАЬIтАЩm afraid youтАЩve been sitting on an awful lot of smuts, Nell.тАЭ + 

тАЬOh, have I? How awful.тАЭ + 

тАЬItтАЩs my fault, darling. But, oh, Nell! it was worth it, wasnтАЩt it?тАЭ + 

She smiled up at him, gently, happily. + 

тАЬIt was worth it,тАЭ she said softly. + 

As they went down the stairs she said with a little laugh: + 

тАЬWhat about all the things you wanted to say? Lots and lots of them.тАЭ + 

They both laughed in perfect understanding. They reentered the dancing room rather sheepishly. They had missed six dances. + 

A lovely evening. Nell had gone to sleep and dreamed of more kisses. + 

And then, this morning, Saturday morning, Vernon had rung up. + 

тАЬI want to talk to you. Can I come round?тАЭ + 

тАЬOh! Vernon, dear, you canтАЩt. IтАЩm going out now to meet people. I canтАЩt get out of it.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhy not?тАЭ + 

тАЬI mean I wouldnтАЩt know what to say to Mother.тАЭ + 

тАЬYou havenтАЩt told her anything?тАЭ + 

тАЬOh, no!тАЭ + 

The vehemence of that тАЬOh, no!тАЭ had checked Vernon. He thought: тАЬPoor little darling. Of course she hasnтАЩt.тАЭ He said: тАЬHadnтАЩt I better do that? IтАЩll come round now.тАЭ + 

тАЬOh! no, Vernon, not until weтАЩve talked.тАЭ + 

тАЬWell, when can we talk?тАЭ + 

тАЬI donтАЩt know. IтАЩm lunching with people and going to a matin├йe and to the theatre again tonight. If youтАЩd only told me you were going to be up this weekend IтАЩd have arranged something.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat about tomorrow?тАЭ + 

тАЬWell, thereтАЩs churchтБатАФтАЭ + 

тАЬThatтАЩll do! DonтАЩt go to church. Say youтАЩve got a headache or something. IтАЩll come round. We can talk then, and when your mother comes back from church I can have it out with her.тАЭ + 

тАЬOh! Vernon, I donтАЩt think I canтБатАФтАЭ + 

тАЬYes, you can. IтАЩm going to ring off now before you can make any more excuses. At eleven tomorrow.тАЭ + 

He rang off. He hadnтАЩt even told Nell where he was staying. She admired him for this masculine decision even while it caused her anxiety. She was afraid he was going to spoil everything. + 

And now, here they were, in the middle of a heated discussion. Nell had begged him to say nothing to her mother. + 

тАЬIt will spoil everything. We shanтАЩt be allowed to.тАЭ + 

тАЬShanтАЩt be allowed to what?тАЭ + 

тАЬSee each other or anything.тАЭ + 

тАЬBut Nell darling, I want to marry you. And you want to marry me, donтАЩt you? I want to marry you awfully soon.тАЭ + 

She had her first feeling of exasperation then. CouldnтАЩt he see things as they were? He was talking like a mere boy. + 

тАЬBut, Vernon, we havenтАЩt any money.тАЭ + 

тАЬI know. But IтАЩm going to work awfully hard. You wonтАЩt mind being poor, will you, Nell?тАЭ + 

She said no since it was expected of her, but she was conscious that she did not say it wholeheartedly. It was dreadful being poor. Vernon didnтАЩt know how dreadful it was. She suddenly felt years and years older and more experienced than he. He was talking like a romantic boyтБатАФhe didnтАЩt know what things were really like. + 

тАЬOh, Vernon, canтАЩt we just go on as we are? WeтАЩre so happy now.тАЭ + 

тАЬOf course weтАЩre happyтБатАФbut we could be happier still. I want to be really engaged to youтБатАФI want everyone to know that you belong to me.тАЭ + 

тАЬI donтАЩt see that that makes any difference.тАЭ + 

тАЬI suppose it doesnтАЩt. But I want to have a right to see you, instead of being miserable about you going round with chaps like that ass, Dacre.тАЭ + 

тАЬOh! Vernon, youтАЩre not jealous?тАЭ + 

тАЬI know I oughtnтАЩt to be. But you donтАЩt really know how lovely you are, Nell! Everyone must be in love with you. I believe even that solemn old American fellow is.тАЭ + 

Nell changed colour slightly. + 

тАЬWell, I think youтАЩll spoil everything,тАЭ she murmured. + 

тАЬYou think your mother will be horrid to you about it? IтАЩm awfully sorry. IтАЩll tell her itтАЩs all my fault. And after all, sheтАЩs got to know. I expect sheтАЩll be disappointed because she probably wanted you to marry someone rich. ThatтАЩs quite natural. But it doesnтАЩt really make you happy being rich, does it?тАЭ + 

Nell said suddenly in a hard, desperate little voice: + 

тАЬYou talk like that, but what do you know about being poor?тАЭ + 

Vernon was astonished. + 

тАЬBut I am poor.тАЭ + 

тАЬNo, youтАЩre not. YouтАЩve been to schools and universities and in the holidays youтАЩve lived with your mother whoтАЩs rich. You donтАЩt know anything at all about it. You donтАЩt knowтБатАФтАЭ + 

She stopped in despair. She wasnтАЩt clever with words. How could she paint the picture she knew so well? The shifts, the struggles, the evasions, the desperate fight to keep up appearances. The ease with which friends dropped you if you тАЬcouldnтАЩt keep up with things,тАЭ the slights, the snubsтБатАФworse, the galling patronage! In Captain VerekerтАЩs lifetime, and since his death, it had always been the same. You could, of course, live in a cottage in the country and never see anyone, never go to dances like other girls, never have pretty clothes, live within your income and rot away slowly! Either way was pretty beastly. It was so unfairтБатАФone ought to have money. And always marriage lay ahead of you clearly designated as the way of escape. No more striving and snubs and subterfuges. + 

You didnтАЩt think of it as marrying for money. Nell, with the boundless optimism of youth, had always pictured herself falling in love with a nice, rich man. And now she had fallen in love with Vernon Deyre. Her thoughts hadnтАЩt gone as far as marriage. She was just happyтБатАФwonderfully happy. + 

She almost hated Vernon for dragging her down from the clouds. And she resented his easy taking for granted of her readiness to face poverty for his sake. If heтАЩd put it differently. If heтАЩd said: тАЬI oughtnтАЩt to ask youтБатАФbut do you think you could for my sake?тАЭ Something like that. + 

So that she could feel that her sacrifice was being appreciated. For after all, it was a sacrifice! She didnтАЩt want to be poorтБатАФshe hated the idea of being poor. She was afraid of it. VernonтАЩs contemptuous unworldly attitude infuriated her. It was so easy not to care about money when youтАЩd never felt the lack of it. And Vernon hadnтАЩtтБатАФhe wasnтАЩt aware of the fact but, there it was. HeтАЩd lived softly and comfortably and well. + 

He said now in an astonished kind of way: тАЬOh! Nell, surely you wouldnтАЩt mind being poor?тАЭ + 

тАЬIтАЩve been poor, I tell you. I know what itтАЩs like.тАЭ + 

She felt years and years older than Vernon. He was a childтБатАФa baby! What did he know of the difficulties of getting credit? Of the money that she and her mother already owed? She felt suddenly terribly lonely and miserable. What was the good of men? They said wonderful things to you, they loved you, but did they ever try to understand? Vernon wasnтАЩt trying now. He was just saying condemnatory things, showing her how she had fallen in his estimation. + 

тАЬIf you say that you canтАЩt love me.тАЭ + 

She replied helplessly: тАЬYou donтАЩt understand.тАЭ + 

They gazed at each other hopelessly. What had happened? Why were things like this between them? + 

тАЬYou donтАЩt love me,тАЭ repeated Vernon angrily. + 

тАЬOh, Vernon, I do, I do.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

Suddenly, like an enchantment, their love swept over them again. They clung together, kissing. They felt that age-long loversтАЩ delusion that everything must come right because they loved. It was VernonтАЩs victory. He still insisted on telling Mrs.┬аVereker. Nell opposed him no longer. His arms round her, his lips on hersтБатАКтБатАж She couldnтАЩt go on arguing. Better to give oneself up to the joy of being loved, to say: тАЬYesтБатАФyes darling, if you likeтБатАКтБатАж anything you like.тАЭ + 

Yet, almost unknown to herself, under her love was a faint resentment. + 