She merely smiled, and shook her head. Then he went on speaking.
"I hope I'm not giving offence. It's not what I mean, if I am."
"You are not giving any offence, Mr Rubb; only I think you are mistaken about my relatives at Twickenham."
"Of course, I may be; there's no doubt of that. I may be mistaken, like another. But, Miss Mackenzie, by heavens, I can't bring myself to think it." As he spoke in this energetic way, he rose from his chair, and stood opposite to her. "I cannot bring myself to think that the fight should be given up."
"But there has been no fight."
"There ought to be a fight, Miss Mackenzie; I know that there ought. I believe I'm right in supposing, if all this is allowed to go by the board as it is going, that you won't have, so to say, anything of your own."
"I shall have to earn my bread like other people; and, indeed, I am endeavouring now to put myself in the way of doing so."
"I'll tell you how you shall earn it. Come and be my wife. I think we've got a turn for good up at the business. Come and be my wife. That's honest, any way."
"You are honest," said she, with a tear in her eye.
"I am honest now," said he, "though I was not honest to you once;" and I think there was a tear in his eye also.