At last he was in the train. No sleep this time. Derby, Leicester, Nottingham, the hills by Elstree, London. A taxi took him hot speed to the hostel. Cathleen was not yet back from her work. Lotta met him with a grave face. She had had a terrible time with Ann, who had alternated between a dog-like gratitude to herself and harsh defiance of Cathleen and all the other young women of the hostel. The situation had been impossible. To appease her she was allowed to see his letter, and after a few hours' brooding on it--not without tears--she had demanded the twenty pounds. With that, apparently, she had cabled to Joe and Rita and another friend in Canada, had packed up her boxes, stolen away early in the morning, and got on board at Southampton, whither she had been traced.
"She has that. To go out to a new life----"
"Our interference must have been intolerable to a spirit like hers. But what could we do? Even from you----"
"It is horrible that disasters should interfere with human comradeship."
"It seemed to bring home to her for the first time how terrible and ugly it was. You don't mind my saying that, but the past always does cast its shadow."
"I like the way you face things. There is no one like you for that--except Cathleen. . . . Where will you live now?"
"For the time being, with Kilner, I think."
"I found him a little studio in Hampstead. He is delighted and happy with it."
Lotta gave him the direction, and in a few minutes by Tube he was with Kilner, whom he found hard at work at a new Adam and Eve, squaring the composition on to the canvas.
"It's pouring money," said Kilner. "Your twenty pounds came one day and the next I heard that two drawings of mine had been sold, a head of Old Lunt and a half-length of Martin patting a horse's rump. . . . Casey's been up here every day asking for you."
"Casey? What does he want? Money? I'm not a millionaire."
"The poor devil has to leave London. It's eating up the little piece of his lung left by South Africa."
"She's a fine woman. I think I shall marry her. She's twenty years older than I am, but that is just about enough to bring a woman within reach of an artist."
"Oh! she began it. We've already been down to her cottage in the country--I like that too. You'll have to fork out for a wedding present."