‘It must be a very short turn,’ she said,—­’as I am expected to make myself busy.’

‘Oh, bother that.’

‘It bothers me; but it has to be done.’

’You have set everything going now.  They’ll begin dancing again without your telling them.’

‘I hope so.’

‘And I’ve got something I want to say.’

‘Dear me;—­what is it?’

They were now on a path close to the riverside, in which there were many loungers.  ‘Would you mind coming up to the temple?’ he said.

‘What temple?’

’Oh such a beautiful place.  The Temple of the Wind, I think they call it; or Venus;—­or—­or—­Mrs Arthur de Bever.’

‘Was she a goddess?’

’It was something built to her memory.  Such a view of the river!  I was here once before and they took me up.  Everybody who comes here goes and see Mrs Arthur de Bever.  They ought to have told you.’

‘Let us go then,’ said Miss Boncassen.  ‘Only it must not be long.’

‘Five minutes will do it all.’  Then he walked rather quickly up a flight of rural steps.  ‘Loverly spot, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, indeed.’

’That’s Maidenhead Bridge;—­that’s somebody’s place;—­and now, I’ve got something to say to you.’

‘You’re not going to murder me now you’ve got me up here alone,’ said Miss Boncassen, laughing.

‘Murder you!’ said Dolly, throwing himself into an attitude that was intended to express devoted affection.  ‘Oh no!’

‘I am glad of that.’

‘Miss Boncassen!’

‘Mr Longstaff!  If you sigh like that you’ll burst yourself.’

‘I’ll—­what?’

‘Burst yourself!’ and she nodded her head at him.

Then he clasped his hands together, and turned his head away from her towards the little temple.  ’I wonder whether she knows what love is,’ he said, as though he were addressing himself to Mrs Arthur de Bever.

‘No, she don’t,’ said Miss Boncassen.

‘But I do,’ he shouted, turning back towards her.  ’I do.  If any man were ever absolutely, actually, really in love, I am the man.’

‘Are you indeed, Mr Longstaff?  Isn’t this pleasant?’

‘Pleasant;—­pleasant?  Oh, it could be so pleasant.’

‘But who is the lady?  Perhaps you don’t mean to tell me that.’

‘You mean to say you don’t know?’
‘Haven’t the least idea in life.’

’Let me tell you then that it could only be one person.  It never was but one person.  It never could have been but one person.  It is you.’

‘Me!’ said Miss Boncassen, choosing to be ungrammatical in order that he might be more absurd.

’Of course it is you.  Do you think that I should have brought you all the way up here to tell that I was in love with anybody else?’

’I thought I was brought up here to see Mrs de Somebody, and the view.’

‘Not at all,’ said Dolly emphatically.