human
What should I call myself?
gpt
Not Helena, he said with firmness.
human
They'd guess. Besides no authoress could ever be called Helena: it sounds like Eleanor after a careless housemaid's accident.
gpt
Joan is my second name,
human
Joan, he repeated, and she felt quite ashamed already: he made it sound so long and flat.
gpt
No, no; not Joan. That is like Jones with the last letter dropped. It must be something literary. I know. He hesitated, as though weighing the discovered nugget: then, satisfied;
human
We'll call you Zoë Baskerville.
gpt
Splendid! she laughed. Already this was a new interest in life. Then a doubt struck her.
human
I'm blest if I know, he confessed;
gpt
I never liked Helena for you, he said.
human
Zoë is just the name. I shall always think of you as Zoë. Then, greatly daring, with a swift rush;
gpt
May I call you Zoë?
human
If you like it, she said, off-hand.
gpt
You want some revenge for Ally! But not in front of Hugh or he'll guess when the book comes out, and that would be too terrible.
human
No, he said with feeling,
gpt
When will it appear?