“I know what I want,” he said. “What's the odds?”

“Well, you're not going to have it off me.”

“Aren't I? Well, then I'm not. It's no use crying about it, is it?”

“No, it isn't,” said the girl, rather disconcerted by his irony.

“But there's no need to have a row about it. We can kiss good night just the same, can't we?”

She was silent in the darkness.

“Or do you want your hat and umbrella to go home this minute?”

Still she was silent. He watched her dark figure as she stood there on the edge of the faint darkness, and he waited.