JAMES. Oh—er—
CATHERINE. And without saying a word.
JAMES. Your uncle sent me away. I told him the truth again.
CATHERINE. Oh …
JAMES. I am going in a few hours.
CATHERINE. Where are you going? What do you intend to do?
JAMES. [Half-heartedly.] Father and I are going to try our luck together. We're going to start with a small fruit farm. It will give me a chance to experiment….
CATHERINE. It will seem very strange when I come back home…. Uncle gone … and you, James. [Her voice trembling.
JAMES. I hope you'll be happy, Catherine.
CATHERINE. James, Uncle died smiling at me—thinking of me … and just before he went, he gave me his mother's wedding ring and asked me to marry Frederik. I shall never forget how happy he was when I promised. That was all he wanted. His last smile was for me … and there he sat—still smiling after he was gone … the smile of a man leaving the world perfectly satisfied—at peace. It's like a hand on my heart—hurting it— when I question anything he wanted. I couldn't meet him in the hereafter if I didn't do everything he wished; I couldn't say my prayers at night; I couldn't speak his name in them…. He trusted me; depended upon me; did everything for me; so I must do this for him…. I wanted you to know this, James, because …