At this, Miss Blaythwaite seemed to smile approvingly.
Hooker said nothing. Bibliophiles are not missionaries. They do not go into the by-ways of the world to uphold their creeds, for the love of books is such a wonderful thing that it can never be explained!
When he left Miss Blaythwaite that night, he felt that the breviary was farther from him than ever.
Hooker, however, came swiftly to a decision.
The only way he could obtain the Abelard Missal, was by marrying Miss Blaythwaite. The next evening he called, with this firmly fixed in his mind. This wily, calculating book-worm had slowly crept into her affections. He knew she liked him, but would she marry him?
He asked her with great fervor, which was assumed, whether she would become his wife. He waited breathlessly for her answer.
"I want to be frank with you, Robert," she said. "I do not think you love me."
"How can you say such a thing?"
"Instinctively, I feel it. I like you, but I cannot marry you."
"Why not? Is there someone else?"