“julia,” said tay, as they emerged into tilney street, “what is your idea of something real devilish?”
“what do you mean?”
“i mean that after that flow of soul, i am in a mood to whoop it up, paint the town magenta, get up on a box in hyde park and holler, but not to suffragettes. and i want your company. can’t you feel that way?”
“perhaps,” admitted julia, laughing. “what a boy you still are.”
“not so much of a boy as you think, but enough. but i don’t know your tastes in crime. give me a hint, and we’ll do it.”
“i’m afraid i haven’t any.”
“you are as truthful as a woman can be, so investigate your possibilities and own up. admit that under my demoralizing influence you are suffering some from reaction.”
“i believe i am.” julia laughed again, with youth in her voice.
“i surmised as much, if only on general principles. i am subject to violent reactions myself. you’ve been good too long. if you don’t take a mild fling or two, your nervous system will dictate that you rise in the night and blow up the prime minister. suppose we walk, as it isn’t raining. that, for london, is almost variety enough. now, if you made up your mind to go on the wildest spree you could think of, what would it be? a french ball, with a hump and a limp; or a day on the thames, if it happened to be summer, all alone with one man in a punt?”
“let me think.” julia had quite fallen in with his mood. “i think i’d go on a sort of platonic honeymoon with the most companionable man i knew—you, for instance—to some foreign town, one i’d never visited, and where we could hear the best music. there would be a certain excitement in avoiding english people lest they misinterpret what was eminently proper, if quite irregular.”
“i could never have conceived of such a hilarious program. but if that is your best, it would be better than nothing. as it is winter, i suppose we would shiver over our respective radiators when not at the opera.”
“oh, there are always the museums and art galleries?—”
“more and more intoxicating. my idea of complete happiness is to wear out my old shoes and the back of my neck in art galleries?—”
“as it is winter, think of the exercise.”
“i prefer using a pair of dumb-bells at an open window. do you happen to know of any musical european town where we could get food fit to eat?”
“oh, there is always some good restaurant, and of course we could dine together?—”
“and breakfast, and lunch, or i don’t go. of course you’ll send me to a different hotel. shall you take a sitting-room?—”
“oh, that wouldn’t do at all. besides, it wouldn’t be necessary. we’ll be out all the time. there are always the theatres at night, when we don’t go to the opera.”
“as i don’t understand a word of any language except my own and spanish, i can slumber peacefully while you improve your mind and feel wicked. i don’t see where i come in on this game.”
“joking aside, ishbel and dark are going to munich next week, and we might go along. my mind is a bit relaxed since the arrival of your upsetting self. it might be well to humor it.”
“ah!” tay had frowned, but his brow cleared suddenly. after all, he might see more of the real julia with a chaperon, than if she were tormented by recurring alarms. “very well. munich, by all means. anything to cut you loose from suffrage. promise right here that you will chuck it until we return.”
“i shall try to forget it—if only that i may return to it with a mind completely refreshed.”
“exactly. but i haven’t yet had an object lesson in your switching-off trick, so i’ll strike a bargain with you right here: if you mention suffrage, i shall make love to you. if you don’t, i won’t.”
“i promise,” said julia, hastily. “i really should like to feel quite young and frivolous for a bit. and love is as deadly serious as suffrage.”
“so you will find when i get ready to make love to you.”
“can you get away—i thought you were so busy?”
“i’ll get away, all right. just as well to jar their calm deliberation by flaunting my scornful indifference. here we are. we’ll meet to-morrow night.”
and they parted gayly at the gates of clement’s inn.
