Maurice looked at her reproachfully. "I wonder you care to repeat such
gossip."

"It's not gossip, Maurice. Every one knows it. Louise makes no mystery
of her doings--doesn't care that much what people say. While as for
him--well, it's enough to know it's Schilsky. The thing is an open
secret. Listen, now, and I'll tell you how it began--just to let you
judge for yourself what kind of a girl you have to deal with in
Louise, and how Schilsky behaves when he wants a thing, and whether
such a pair think a formal engagement necessary to their happiness.
When Louise came here, a year and a half ago, Schilsky was away
somewhere with Zeppelin, and didn't get back till a couple of months
afterwards. As I said, I knew Louise pretty well at that time; she had
got herself into trouble with--but that's neither here nor there. Well,
my lord returns--he himself tells how it happened. It was a Thursday
evening, and a Radius Commemoration was going on at the Con. He went
in late, and stood at the back of the hall. Louise was there, too,
just before him, and, from the first minute he saw her, he couldn't
take his eyes off her--others who were by say, too, he seemed perfectly
fascinated. No one can stare as rudely as Schilsky, and he ended by
making her so uncomfortable that she couldn't bear it any longer, and
went out of the hall. He after her, and it didn't take him an hour to
find out all about her. The next evening, at an ABEND, they were both
there again it was just like Louise to go!--and the same thing was
repeated. She left again before it was over, he followed, and this
time found her in one of the side corridors; and there--mind you,
without a single word having passed between them!--he took her
in his arms and kissed her, kissed her soundly, half a dozen
times--though they had never once spoken to each other: he boasts of it
to this day. That same evening----"