THE COMPACT 127 



" That's so," said French. " And if you start 

 to try to match one of those chaps it's Uke match- 

 ing yourself against a rum barrel. What drove 

 you to it? " 



" A woman," said Mr Dash wood. 



Mr French laughed. 



" Two women, I should say. I got tangled up 

 with a woman — " 



" And you tried to cut the knot with a whisky 

 bottle. Well, you're not the first. Fire away, 

 and tell us about it." 



" It's this way,"' said Mr Dashwood. " A year 

 ago I met a Miss Hitchin. She was one of those 

 red-haired girls who wear green gowns, don't you 

 know, and go in for things — Herbert Spencer and 

 all that sort of stuff, don't you know. I met her 

 at a show a Johnny took me to for fun, a kind of 

 Uterary club business. Then, next day, I met her 

 again by accident in the Park, and we walked 

 round the Serpentine. You see, I'd never met a 

 woman like that before. She lived in rooms by 

 herseK, like a man, and she had a latch-key. I 

 wasn't in love with her," said the ingenuous Mr 

 Dashwood, " but, somehow or another, before I'd 

 known her ten days I was engaged to her. Awfully 

 funny business. You see, she had a lot of mind 

 of her own, and I admire intellect in a woman, and 

 she was a right good sort. I told her all about my 

 life, and she wanted me to lead a higher one. Said 

 she never could marry me unless I did. The 

 strange thing about her was, she always made me 



