3}5 ANGEL PAVEMENT

"Oh, Lena—you're the most marvellous girl—oh, I
don't know what to say—"

"Don't you, dar-ling?" she replied, laughing at him,
She came very close, held up her mouth, drew it back
suddenly, laughed again, but finally allowed herself to
be kissed.

Turgis was still dazed, still aching, still hot and prick-
ing about the eyes, as he went out into the street and
turned to have a last look at the enchanted window
above; and desire burned and raged in him as it had
never done when he had vainly searched the long lighted
streets for an answering smile, had stared at red mouths,
soft chins, rounded arms and legs in tube trains and
buses and teashops, had felt those exciting little pressures
in the darkness of the picture theatres, had returned to
his little room, tired in body, but with a heated imagina-
tion, as he had done so many times, to see its dim corners
conjure themselves tantalisingly into the shapes of lovely
beckoning girls. The flame of this desire was fed from
the heart. He was now in love, terribly in love. The
miracle had happened; the one girl had arrived; and
with this single magical stroke, life was completed. He
merely existed no longer; but now he lived, and, a lover
at last, was at last himself. Love had only to be kind to
him, and there was nothing he would not do in return;
he was ready to lie, to beg, to steal, to slave day and
night, to rise to astounding heights of courage; all these
trifles, so long as he could still love and be loved.

The conductor of the 31 bus, noticing the young man
with the rather large nose, the open mouth and irregular
teeth, the drooping chin, whose full brown eyes shone as
they stared into vacancy, whose face had a queer glowing
pallor, might easily have concluded that there was a chap