Do you ?" "I ?" The word seemed startled out of her.

"After twelve years?
It's rather late.

Won't it be difficult ?" Jolyon looked hard into her face.

"Unless...." he said.
"Unless I have a lover now.

But I have never had one since." What did he feel at the simplicity and candour of those words?
Relief, surprise, pity! Venus for twelve years without a lover! "And yet," he said, "I suppose you would give a good deal to be free, too ?" "I don't know.