'I may call at nine?' he said.

'If you really have time. But I can manage quite well by myself, you
know.'

'What you _can_ do is not the question. If I had my will you should
never know a moment's trouble as long as you lived.'

'If I never have worse trouble than going to the railway station, I
shall think myself lucky.'

'Miss Mutimer--'

'Yes?'

'You won't drop me altogether from your mind whilst you're away?'

There was a change in his voice. He had abandoned the tone of
excessive politeness, and spoke very much like a man who has feeling
at the back of his words. Alice regarded him nervously.

'I'm not going to be away more than a day or two,' she said,
smoothing a fold in her dress.

'If it was only an hour or two I couldn't bear to think you'd
altogether forgotten me.'

'Why, of course I shan't!'

'But--Miss Mutimer, I'm abusing confidence. Your brother trusts me;