"
Georgie put down his picture and painting-apparatus at his house, and
went on to Lucia's, definitely conscious that though he did not want to
have her to dinner on Christmas Day, or go back to his duets and his A.
D. C. duties, there was a spice and savour in so doing that came
entirely from the fact that Olga wished him to, that by this service he
was pleasing her. In itself it was distasteful, in itself it tended to
cut him off from her, if he had to devote his time to Lucia, but he
still delighted in doing it.
"I believe I am falling in love with her this time," said Georgie to
himself.... "She's wonderful; she's big; she's---"
At that moment his thoughts were violently diverted, for Robert
Quantock came out of his house in a tremendous hurry, merely scowling
at Georgie, and positively trotted across the Green in the direction of
the news-agent's. Instantly Georgie recollected that he had seen him
there already this morning before his visit to Olga, buying a new
twopenny paper in a yellow cover called "Todd's News." They had had a
few words of genial conversation, and what could have happened in the
last two hours that made Robert merely gnash his teeth at Georgie now,
and make a second visit to the paper-shop?
It was impossible not to linger a moment and see what Robert did when
he got to the paper-shop, and with the aid of his spectacles Georgie
perceived that he presently loaded himself with a whole packet of
papers in yellow covers, presumably "Todd's News.
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