Her eyes held level. “It is not my secret. You are a man. I have no
right to tell you.” She added very slowly, but wholly without emotion,
“I think perhaps you had better go back.”
It struck me with a vague sense of shame. I felt like a deserter.
Alice said calmly, “Are you going back, Len?”
With what loyalty these girls already were banded against me! Little
Dolores clutched me.
“Don’t do that, Leonard! Sonya, you misunderstand him.”
I tried to explain myself. “It’s only because I thought the other course
would be better for the prince,” I finished. “How long will this take
us, Sonya?”
Sudden tears were in her eyes. “I believe you! But you must know that I
. . . least of all, would delay to help him I love! Mine is the better
way, and we won’t be long—a few hours at most.”