"
And then Oliver was out in the hall, pressing the button that would summon
a sleepy, disgruntled elevator-boy to take him down to Ted and the car. He
decided as he waited that few conversations he had ever had made him feel
quite so inescapably, irritatingly young; that he saw to the last inch of
exactitude just why Mr. Piper completely and Ted very nearly had fallen
in love with Mrs. Severance; that she was one of the most remarkable
individuals he had ever met; and that he hoped from the bottom of his heart
he never, never saw her again.
XLIV
Ted and he had little conversation going back in the car. The most
important part of it occurred when they had left New York behind and were
rushing along cool moon-strewn roads to Southampton. Then--
"Thanks," said Ted suddenly and fervently and did not seem to be able to
say anything more.
The events of the evening had come too close, at moments, to grotesque
tragedy for Oliver to pretend to misunderstand him.
"Oh, that's all right. And anyhow I owed you one for that time with the
gendarmes in Brest."
"Maybe," but Ted didn't seem to be convinced.
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