She looked at him with serene, meditative eyes, which calmed him almost against his will as he proceeded.
"I'll tell you, then," he said. "I nearly wrecked three lives through my own selfish obstinacy. I almost broke a woman's heart and sacrificed my honour——"
"Almost? Nearly?" said Angela, gently. "That is possible, but you saw your mistake in time. You drew back; you did not do these things."
"I'll tell you what I did do!" he exclaimed. "I whined to you, until I loathe myself, about a woman who never cared a straw for me. Do you call that manly?"
"I call it very natural," said Angela.
"And after all——"
"Yes, after all?" He hesitated so long that she looked up into his face and gently repeated the words "After all?"
"After all," he went on at last, with a sort of groan, "I love—someone else."
They were both silent. He threw himself into a chair, and looked at her expectantly.
"Don't you despise me?" he said, presently.