g man
followed her slowly, with deliberate pauses in his stride.
"Eight, nine," said Kitty, under her breath. She waited.
The man's eyes had been upon her; but in the approach he lowered them,
and as he passed her he turned away his head.
"It's no use," said Miss Keating; "you can't have it both ways."
Kitty was silent. Suddenly she laughed.
"Bunny," said she, "would you like to marry the long man?"
Miss Keating's mouth closed tightly, with an effort, covering her teeth.
Kitty leaned forward. "Perhaps you can if you want to. Long men
sometimes go crazy about little women. And you'd have such dear little
long babies--little babies with long faces. Why not? You're just the
right size for him. He could make a memorandum of you and put you in his
pocket; or you could hang on his arm like a dear little umbrella. It
would be all right. You may take it from me that man is entirely moral.
He wouldn't think of going out without his umbrella. And he'd be so nice
when the little umbrellas came. Dear Bunny, face massage would do
wonders for you. Why ever not? He's heaps nicer than that man at the
Hydro, and you'd have married him, you know you would, if I hadn't told
you he was a commercial traveller. Never mind, ducky; I dare say he
wasn't."
Kitty curled herself up tight on the long chair and smiled dreamily at
Miss Keating.
"Do you remember the way you used to talk at Matlock, just after I found
you there? You _were_ such a rum little thing. You said it would be very
much better if we hadn't any bodies, so that people could fall in love
in a prettier way, and only be married spiritually. You said God ought
to have arranged things on that footing. You looked so miserable when
you said it. By the way, I wouldn't go about saying that sort of thing
to people. That's how I spotted you. I know men think it's one of the
symptoms."
"Symptoms of what?"
"Of that state of mind. When a woman comes to me and talks about being
spiritual, I always know she isn't--at the moment. You asked me,
Bunny--the second time I met you--if I believed in spiritual love, and
all that. I didn't, and I don't. When you're gone on a man all you want
is to get him, and keep him to yourself. I dare say it feels jolly
spiritual--especially, when you're not sure of the man--but it isn't. If
you're gone on him enough to give him up when you've got him, there
might be some spirituality in _that_. I shall believe in it when I see
it done."
"
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