‘It is only three years,’ said Johnny, angrily.  ’Besides, I don’t know what that has to do with it.’

‘You need not be ashamed,’ said Madalina.  ’I have heard how well you behaved on that occasion.  You were quite the preux chevalier; and if any gentleman ever deserved well of a lady you deserved well of her.  I wonder how Mr Crosbie felt when he met you the other day at Maria’s.  I had not heard anything about it then, or I should have been much more interested in watching your meeting.’

‘I really can’t say how he felt.’

’I daresay not; but I saw him shake hands with you.  And so Lily Dale has come to town.’

‘Yes—­Miss Dale is here with her uncle.’

‘And you are going away tomorrow?’

‘Yes—­and I am going away tomorrow.’

After that there was a pause in the conversation.  Eames was sick of it, and was very anxious to change the conversation.  Miss Demolines was sitting in the shadow, away from the light, with her face half hidden by her hands.  At last she jumped up, and came round and stood opposite to him.  ‘I charge you to tell me truly, John Eames,’ she said, ’whether Miss Lilian Dale is engaged to you as your future wife?’ He looked up in to her face, but made no immediate answer.  Then she repeated her demand.  ’I ask you whether you are engaged to marry Miss Lilian Dale, and I expect a reply.’

‘What makes you ask me such a question as that?’

’What makes me ask you?  Do you deny my right to feel so much interest in you as to desire to know whether you are about to married?  Of course you can decline to tell me if you choose.’

‘And if I were to decline?’

’I should know then that it was true, and I should think you were a coward.’

’I don’t see any cowardice in the matter.  One does not talk about that kind of thing to everybody.’

’Upon my word, Mr Eames, you are complimentary;—­indeed you are.  To everybody!  I am everybody—­am I?  That is your idea of—­friendship!  You may be sure that after that I shall ask no further questions.’

‘I didn’t mean it the way you have taken it, Madalina.’

’In what way did you mean it, sir?  Everybody!  Mr Eames, you must excuse me if I say that I am not well enough this evening to bear the company of—­everybody.  I think you had better leave me.  I think that you had better go.’

‘Are you angry with me?’

’Yes, I am—­very angry.  Because I have condescended to feel an interest in your welfare, and have asked you a question which I thought that our intimacy justified, you tell me that that is a kind of thing that you will not talk about to—­everybody.  I beg you to understand that I will not be your everybody.  Mr Eames, there is the door.’