Giant’s Bread · Book II · IV · Chapter 2 4 3

III

“I’m ashamed of you. What can you be thinking of?”

Mrs. Vereker was very angry. Nell stood before her, dumb and lovely.

Her mother uttered a few more virulent and incisive words, then turned and left the room without saying good night.

Ten minutes later, as Mrs. Vereker completed her preparations for the night, she suddenly laughed to herself⁠—a grim chuckle.

“I needn’t have been so angry with the child. As a matter of fact, it will do George Chetwynd good. Wake him up. He needed prodding.”

She turned out her light and slept, satisfied.

Nell lay awake. Again and again she went over the evening, trying to recapture each feeling, each word that had been spoken.

What had Vernon said? What had she answered? Queer that she couldn’t remember.

He had asked her whether she loved him⁠—what had she said to that? She couldn’t tell. But in the darkness the scene rose up before her eyes. She felt her hand in Vernon’s, heard his voice, husky and ill assured.⁠ ⁠… She shut her eyes, lost in a hazy delicious dream.

Life was so lovely⁠—so lovely.