She couldn't help it, poor
girl; nature had made her conspicuous--important, as the painters say.
She paid for it by the corresponding exposure, the danger that people
would, as I had said to Mrs. Peck, enter into her affairs.
Jasper Nettlepoint went down at certain times to see his mother, and I
watched for one of these occasions--on the third day out--and took
advantage of it to go and sit by Miss Mavis. She wore a light blue veil
drawn tightly over her face, so that if the smile with which she greeted
me rather lacked intensity I could account for it partly by that.
"Well, we're getting on--we're getting on," I said cheerfully, looking at
the friendly twinkling sea.
"Are we going very fast?"
"Not fast, but steadily. _Ohne Hast, ohne Rast_--do you know German?"
"Well, I've studied it--some."
"It will be useful to you over there when you travel."
"Well yes, if we do. But I don't suppose we shall much. Mr. Nettlepoint
says we ought," my young woman added in a moment.
"Ah of course _he_ thinks so. He has been all over the world."
"Yes, he has described some of the places. They must be wonderful. I
didn't know I should like it so much."
"But it isn't 'Europe' yet!" I laughed.
Well, she didn't care if it wasn't. "I mean going on this way.
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