"And to-day he didn't?"
"To-day he said he wouldn't marry me, if I were the last woman in the world."
"And what did you think about that?"
"I thought it wasn't true, sir."
Crane laughed aloud at this direct answer.
"And it sounds to me as if you were right, Jane-Ellen," he said. "But, at the same time, I can't see for the life of me why, if you don't mean to marry him, you let him kiss you."
"If you please, sir, it's not always possible to prevent. You see I'm not very large."
Crane looked at her, and had to admit that the feat would be extremely easy. She hardly came to one's shoulder; almost any man—Hastily putting aside this train of thought, he said in a more judicial tone:
"You know your own affairs best. Is the young man able to support you?"
"Yes, sir, very comfortably."