"I've been dining here."
Really!If she had only known!There were dishes she could have recommended;what a pity!Soames was confirmed in his suspicion.
'I must look out what I'm doing!'he thought sharply.
"Another little cup of very special coffee,monsieur;a liqueur,Grand Marnier?"and Madame Lamotte rose to order these delicacies.
Alone with Annette Soames said,"Well,Annette?"with a defensive little smile about his lips.
The girl blushed.This,which last Sunday would have set his nerves tingling,now gave him much the same feeling a man has when a dog that he owns wriggles and looks at him.He had a curious sense of power,as if he could have said to her,'Come and kiss me,'and she would have come.And yet--it was strange--but there seemed another face and form in the room too;and the itch in his nerves,was it for that--or for this?He jerked his head towards the restaurant and said:"You have some queer customers.Do you like this life?"Annette looked up at him for a moment,looked down,and played with her fork.
"No,"she said,"I do not like it."