A little perplexed, he continued: "She was dressed in white, and her
face was like a flower under the great hat."

"It is clear that you can admire no one who doesn't wear a
Gainsborough hat. What will you do now that they have gone out of
fashion? I am sure I can't gratify you."

"I wondered where she was going. I wished I was going to the same
house, I imagined what it would be like, and so the time went till we
got to Kensington. She turned to the right, so did I; I hoped she did
not think I was following her--"

"You were both going to the same house?"

"Yes. There were some carnations behind her in a vase, and you know
how I love the perfume of a carnation--so did she. She told me of the
flowers they had in their cottage at Maidenhead. I love the river, so
did she, and we spoke of the river all the afternoon. And when the
season was over I went up to Maidenhead too. I had my boat there (I
must show you my boat one of these days, one of the prettiest boats on
the river). We used to go out together, and, tying the boat under an
alder, I used to read her Browning. Oh, it was a jolly time." The
conversation came to a pause, then Frank said "Were you ever in love?"

"I suppose I was."

"With your husband?"

"No, I was not in love with my husband, he was twenty years older than