but we ca n't possibly afford to leave , '' `` if we close the place down , we 'll actually save money and be economising by going to india , it 's cheap over there , and bob can paint the end cottage so it 'll be ready when we return , i can rely on him to keep an eye on things while we 're away , '' `` yes , '' she agreed , enchanted by the prospect of escaping from her drudgery , `` let 's leave at once , '' i felt a quickening of the conspiratorial intimacy we had shared , which had all but vanished in the last months .