"By all means back to the continent. Do go back to the continent."
"Then how will you keep seeing me? But perhaps," she quickly added,
"you won't want to keep seeing me."
He had it all ready; he had really everything all ready. "I shall
follow you up; though if you mean that I don't want you to keep seeing
_me_----"
"Well?" she asked.
It was only just here that he struck her the least bit as stumbling.
"Well, see all you can. That's what it comes to. Worry about nothing.
You _have_ at least no worries. It's a great, rare chance."
She had got up, for she had had from him both that he would send her
something and would advise her promptly of the date of his coming to
her, by which she was virtually dismissed. Yet, for herself, one or two
things kept her. "May I come back to England too?"
"Rather! Whenever you like. But always, when you do come, immediately
let me know."
"Ah," said Milly, "it won't be a great going to and fro."
"Then if you'll stay with us, so much the better."
It touched her, the way he controlled his impatience of her; and the
fact itself affected her as so precious that she yielded to the wish to
get more from it. "So you don't think I'm out of my mind?"
"Perhaps that _is,"_ he smiled, "all that's the matter."
She looked at him longer. "No, that's too good. Shall I, at any rate,
suffer?"
"Not a bit."
"And yet then live?"
"My dear young lady," said her distinguished friend, "isn't to 'live'
exactly what I'm trying to persuade you to take the trouble to do?"