ARABIAN NIGHTS FOR TURGIS 373

pagne and liqueurs all night. I fell on the floor once
and rolled under a table and went to sleep for hours and
hours. Shove the gramophone on, with something decent
on. Then come and have this drink and I'll see if you
can dance yet."

They did not dance long, however, for Lena
announced that she was too tired and that he was too
clumsy. She turned off one of the two shaded lights and
went and stood by the fire. He joined her there, stand-
ing quite close, trembling a little. He put his arm round
her tentatively and when she did not move away, he
tightened it. She half turned so that she was lightly
pressing against him, and then she lifted her glamorous
face, looked at him with huge mysterious eyes, raised her
lips to within an inch or two of his, and whispered;
"Wouldn't you like to kiss me?"

"Yes," and he made a quick movement.

But she was quicker still, and in a second had broken
away from him and was laughing. "Well, you can't
then—unless you say you adore me and are madly in
love with me and that I'm the most wonderful person
you've ever met and that you'll do anything in the world
I ask. Now then."

"But you are. Oh, you are," he stammered, all his
heart trying to break through. "I've thought that ever
since I saw you that day in the office, I've never thought
about anything else. I used to come and stand outside
this house, hoping to see you again, just to look at you."

"You didn't." There was a faint suggestion of
giggling in her voice. "You didn't."

"Yes, I did. Lots of nights. I did, really. Oh,
Lena—"

"Oh, funny boy!" she cried, mocking him. "Well, you