His face went crimson with embarrassment, but after looking at her steadily for a moment, he turned, and walked back to Elinor. In a moment she could be heard saying coldly:
“… I am sorry, Francis, but I cannot!… You should have thought about all that before!… If you won’t stay out here and go in with us tomorrow, you’ll have to do the best you can by yourself…. No, sir, I cannot… if you want to put it that way, yes; I won’t then!… I do not like the man…. I thoroughly disapprove of what you’re doing…. I will not help you!”
Some low, excited words passed between them, and in a moment Starwick said:
“You have no right to say that! I resent that very much!”
His ruddy face was deeply flushed with anger and humiliation: he turned abruptly on his heel and walked away without farewell. At this moment the guards could be heard calling, “En voiture! En voiture, messieurs!” and Elinor, glancing towards Ann and Eugene, said curtly:
“If you’re going to catch that train, you’ll have to hurry!”
Eugene turned to say good-bye to Ann; she paid no attention to his outstretched hand but stood, her hands clenched, glaring angrily at him with wet eyes.
“Good-bye!” he said roughly. “Aren’t you going to say good-bye?” She made no answer, but just stood glaring at him, and then turned away.
“All right,” he said angrily. “Do as you like!”
Without a word to Elinor, he picked up his valise, ran into the station and got through the gates just as the little suburban train began to move. Starwick was climbing up into a compartment, Eugene followed him, flung his valise inside, and clambered in, breathless, just as the guard with a remonstrant face slammed the door behind him.
LXXXVIII
During the journey back to Paris, Eugene and Starwick said little. The two young men were the sole occupants of the compartment, they sat facing each other, looking out through the windows with gloomy eyes. The grey light of the short winter’s day was fading rapidly: when they entered Paris dusk had come; as the train rattled over the switchpoints in the yard-approaches to the Gare St. Lazare, they could see lights and life and sometimes faces in the windows of the high, faded buildings
