"I dare say you think it isn't; but then you haven't been tried and judged half a dozen times, unheard, as I've been. I'll confess that you've shown the most wonderful ingenuity in trying to get me into a position where I should be obliged to marry you, whether I would or not; and now you've succeeded. Whether the game is worth the candle or not is for you to judge; my part is limited to saying that you've won. I'm ready to marry you as soon as you tell me when."
"To save Dorothea?"
"To save Dorothea."
"And for no other reason?"
"For no other reason."
"Then, of course, I can't keep you to your word."
"You can't release me from it except on one condition."
"Which is—?"
"That Dorothea's secret shall be kept."
"I must use my own judgment about that."