He said to himself: "I suppose this is what they call flirting."
When a chronicler tells the exact truth, there is always a danger that
he will not be believed. Yet, in spite of the risk, it must be said
plainly that at this point Denry actually thought of marriage. An absurd
and childish thought, preposterously rash; but it came into his mind,
and--what is more--it stuck there! He pictured marriage as a perpetual
afternoon tea alone with an elegant woman, amid an environment of
ribboned muslin. And the picture appealed to him very strongly. And Ruth
appeared to him in a new light. It was perhaps the change in her voice
that did it. She appeared to him at once as a creature very feminine and
enchanting, and as a creature who could earn her own living in a manner
that was both original and ladylike. A woman such as Ruth would be a
delight without being a drag. And, truly, was she not a remarkable
woman, as remarkable as he was a man? Here she was living amid the
refinements of luxury. Not an expensive luxury (he had an excellent
notion of the monetary value of things), but still luxury. And the whole
affair was so stylish.
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