'Do you know that you are going ahead at a frightful pace?' she asked.
'Why should I waste time? My time is my life. It's all I have. Any fool
can make money when he has wasted it and really wants more, but no
power in heaven or earth can give me back an hour thrown away, an hour
of what might have been.' 'I'm sure you must have learnt that in an English Sunday school! It's a
highly moral and practical sentiment! But what becomes of the
imagination?' 'Oh, that's the other side,' Logotheti answered, laughing. 'Never do
to-day what you can put off till to-morrow, for if you do you'll lose
all the pleasure of anticipating it! And the anticipation is much more
delightful than the reality, so you must never realise your dream, if
you mean to be happy--and all that sort of thing! But if reality knocks
at my door while I am asleep and dreaming, and if I don't wake up to
let it in, it may never take the trouble to knock again, you know, and
I shall be left dreaming. I don't know about the Sunday school maxim
being moral in all cases, but it's certainly very practical. I wish you
would follow it and come with me to the East--you and Mrs. Rushmore.' 'You mean that if I don't, you'll never ask me again, I suppose?' 'No. That was not what I meant.' He looked steadily into her eyes till
she turned her head away. 'What I meant was that you might be induced
to give up the idea of the stage.' 'And as an inducement to throw up my engagement and sacrifice a career
that may turn out well--you have told me so!--you offer me a trip to
Constantinople!' 'You shall keep the yacht as a memento of the cruise. She's not a bad
vessel.' 'What should I do with a steam yacht?' 'Oh, you would have to take the owner with her,' Logotheti answered
airily.
'Eh?' Margaret stared at him in amazement.
'Yes. Don't be surprised. I'm quite in earnest. I never lose time, you
know.' 'I should think not! Do you know that this is only our second meeting?' 'Exactly,' replied the Greek coolly. 'Of course, I might have asked you
the first time we met, when we were standing together on the pavement
outside Madame Bonanni's door. I thought of it, but I was afraid it
might strike you as sudden.' 'A little!' 'Yes. But a second meeting is different. You must admit that I have had
plenty of time to think it over and to know my own mind.' 'In two meetings?' 'Yes. Surely you know that in France young people are often engaged to
be married when they have never seen each other at all.' 'That is arranged for them by their parents,' objected Margaret.