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right—beautifully. But I thought—well, she always goes there for September, doesn’t she?”
    â€œAudrey, you mean?”
    â€œYes. I suppose they could put her off, but—”
    â€œWhy should they put her off?”
    Kay stared at him dubiously.
    â€œYou mean, we’d be there at the same time? What an extraordinary idea.”
    Nevile said irritably:
    â€œI don’t think it’s at all an extraordinary idea. Lots of people do it nowadays. Why shouldn’t we all be friends together? It makes things so much simpler. Why, you said so yourself only the other day.”
    â€œ I did?”
    â€œYes, don’t you remember? We were talking about the Howes, and you said it was the sensible civilized way to look at things, and that Leonard’s new wife and his Ex were the best of friends.”
    â€œOh, I wouldn’t mind. I do think it’s sensible. But—well, I don’t think Audrey would feel like that about it.”
    â€œNonsense.”
    â€œIt isn’t nonsense. You know, Nevile, Audrey really was terribly fond of you…I don’t think she’d stand it for a moment.”
    â€œYou’re quite wrong, Kay. Audrey thinks it would be quite a good thing.”
    â€œAudrey—what do you mean, Audrey thinks? How do you know what Audrey thinks?”
    Nevile looked slightly embarrassed. He cleared his throat a little self-consciously.
    â€œAs a matter of fact, I happened to run into her yesterday when I was up in London.”
    â€œYou never told me.”
    Nevile said irritably:
    â€œI’m telling you now. It was absolute chance. I was walking across the Park and there she was coming towards me. You wouldn’t want me to run away from her, would you?”
    â€œNo, of course not,” said Kay, staring. “Go on.”
    â€œI—we—well, we stopped, of course, and then I turned round and walked with her. I—I felt it was the least I could do.”
    â€œGo on,” said Kay.
    â€œAnd then we sat down on a couple of chairs and talked. She was very nice—very nice indeed.”
    â€œDelightful for you,” said Kay.
    â€œAnd we got talking, you know, about one thing and another. She was quite natural and normal and—and all that.”
    â€œRemarkable!” said Kay.
    â€œAnd she asked how you were—”
    â€œVery kind of her!”
    â€œAnd we talked about you for a bit. Really, Kay, she couldn’t have been nicer.”
    â€œDarling Audrey!”
    â€œAnd then it sort of came to me—you know—how nice it would be if—if you two could be friends—if we could all get together. And it occurred to me that perhaps we might manage it at Gull’s Point this summer. Sort of place it could happen quite naturally.”
    â€œ You thought of that?”
    â€œI—well—yes, of course. It was all my idea.”
    â€œYou’ve never said anything to me about having any such idea.”
    â€œWell, I only happened to think of it just then.”
    â€œI see. Anyway, you suggested it and Audrey thought it was a marvellous brainwave?”
    For the first time, something in Kay’s manner seemed to penetrate to Nevile’s consciousness.
    He said:
    â€œIs anything the matter, gorgeous?”
    â€œOh no, nothing! Nothing at all! It didn’t occur to you or Audrey whether I should think it a marvellous idea?”
    Nevile stared at her.
    â€œBut, Kay, why on earth should you mind?”
    Kay bit her lip.
    Nevile went on:
    â€œYou said yourself only the other day—”
    â€œOh, don’t go into all that again! I was talking about other people—not us. ”
    â€œBut that’s partly what made me think of it.”
    â€œMore fool me. Not that I believe that.”
    Nevile was looking at her with dismay.
    â€œBut, Kay, why should you mind? I mean, there’s nothing for you to mind about!”
    â€œIsn’t