"Oh, but that's horrible," he said then; "you were right—it is awful. No wonder you were frightened and ran away. She must be insane. I never heard of such a thing." He went to the edge of the bank and looked off for a little, standing there still, and then, after a while, "Oh, my God!" he said; and then again "Oh, my God!" and came back beside her. His action, his evident emotion, quieted her own strangely.
"Isn't it terrible?" she asked, almost timidly, when he was close again; "it seems to me the most terrible thing that I ever knew about."
"Very terrible," said the man, briefly. "We will walk on up the hill," he added, after a little; "it's near dinner time." She did as he said.
"You won't tell Alva that I told you?" she asked.
He shook his head. "No, indeed," and then both were silent.
Towards the top, he asked: "How long shall you be with her?"
"A week."
"That means until she leaves to marry him?"
"Yes."
"That's good; I am glad that you can stay."