Will you oblige me with your autograph?’
Julia caught her breath.
It couldn’t be that this was why he had followed her for ten minutes.
He must have thought that up as an excuse for speaking to her.
Well, she would play up.
‘I shall be delighted.
But I can’t very well give it you in the street.
People would stare so.’
‘That’s right.
Look here, I was just going along to ’ave my tea.
There’s a Lyons at the next corner.
Why don’t you come in and ’ave a cup too?’
She was getting on.
When they’d had tea he’d probably suggest going to the pictures.
‘All right,’ she said.
They walked along till they came to the shop and took their places at a small table.
‘Two teas, please, miss,’ he ordered. ‘Anything to eat?’
And when Julia declined: ‘Scone and butter for one, miss.’
Julia was able now to have a good look at him.
Though stocky and short he had good features, his black hair was plastered down on his head and he had fine eyes, but his teeth were poor and his pale skin gave him an unhealthy look.
There was a sort of impudence in his manner that Julia did not much like, but then, as she sensibly reflected, you could hardly expect the modesty of the violet in a young man who picked you up in the Edgware Road.
‘Before we go any further let’s ’ave this autograph, eh?
Do it now, that’s my motto.’
He took a fountain pen from his pocket and from a bulging pocket-book a large card.
‘One of our trade cards,’ he said.
‘That’ll do O.K.’
Julia thought it silly to carry the subterfuge to this length, but she good-humouredly signed her name on the back of the card.
‘Do you collect autographs?’ she asked him with a subtle smile.
‘Me?
Noa.
I think it’s a lot of tommy rot.
My young lady does.
She’s got Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks and I don’t know what all.
Show you ’er photo if you like.’
From his pocket-book he extracted a snapshot of a rather pert-looking young woman showing all her teeth in a cinema smile.
‘Pretty,’ said Julia.
‘And how.
We’re going to the pictures tonight.
She will be surprised when I give her your autograph.
The first thing I said to meself when I knew it was you was, I’ll get Julia Lambert’s autograph for Gwen or die in the attempt.
We’re going to get married in August, when I ’ave my ’oliday, you know; we’re going to the Isle of Wight for the ’oneymoon.
I shall ’ave a rare lot of fun with ’er over this.
She won’t believe me when I tell her you an’ me ’ad tea together, she’ll think I’m kidding, and then I’ll show ’er the autograph, see?’
Julia listened to him politely, but the smile had left her face.
‘I’m afraid I shall have to go in a minute,’ she said.
‘I’m late already.’
‘I ’aven’t got too much time meself.
You see, meeting my young lady, I want to get away from the shop on the tick.’
The check had been put on the table when the girl brought their tea, and when they got up Julia took a shilling out of her bag.
‘What are you doing that for?