“You’re a dear,” said June warmly. “I know you were the one to come to. I’m quite sure when you’ve seen Esther you’ll ... why, what’s the matter, Micky?” Micky had looked up sharply. His face had paled a little. “What name did you say?” he asked. He never knew how he managed to control his voice. His heart seemed to be thumping in his throat. “What name did you say?” he asked again, with an effort. “I did not catch it–––” “It’s Esther,” said June, “Esther Shepstone.” 66 CHAPTER VI Micky’s pencil jerked suddenly, sending an aimless scrawl across the paper; for an instant he stared at his companion with blank eyes. Fortunately June Mason was too intent on the relighting of her cigarette to have any attention to spare for him; she went on talking as she puffed. “Yes....”––puff––“that’s her name....” Another puff. “Isn’t it a change from your eternal Violets and Dorothys?”... Puff, puff. “Oh, bother!” She threw the cigarette into an empty grate behind her and prepared to give Micky her undivided attention once more. “Well, what do you think about it? You haven’t written her name down. Esther Shepstone, I said.... Write it down,” she commanded. Micky obeyed at once. He was beginning to recover himself a little. “I shall be able to help her all right,” he said quickly. “Only, of course, you won’t let her know I’m mixed up in it at all; she’d hate it if she knew, she....” “How do you know she would?” June demanded with suspicion. Micky met her eyes squarely. “Well, you said she was proud or something, didn’t you? And anyway I don’t want to pose as a blessed philanthropist; I’m not one either, but I’ll see what I can do for––for this new friend of yours. You say she’s poor?” “Horribly poor, I’m afraid,” said June with a sigh. “Micky, it’s rather pathetic––somebody sent her some money––not very much, but still, it was money she evidently didn’t expect. I’ve got a sort of idea that it was from this man she’s supposed to be engaged to–––” 67 “Why do you say ‘supposed’––she is engaged to him, isn’t she?”
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