“Well, let's see. Yes—you're blushing! It's for your young woman, that's evident.”
John William edged nearer.
“It's for the young lady—the young lady I should like to be mine—only I'm so far below her,” he began in a murmur. Then he looked at her hard. “Missy, for God's sake forgive me,” he cried out, “but it's for you!”
“Nonsense!”
“But I mean it. I got it last night. Do, please, have it.”
“No,” said Missy firmly. “Thank you ever so very awfully much; but you must take it back.” And she held it out to him with a still hand.
“I can't take it back—I won't!” cried young Teesdale excitedly. “Consider it only as a Christmas box—surely your father's godson may give you a little bit of a Christmas box? That's me, Missy, and anything else I've gone and said you must forgive and forget too, for it was all a slip. I didn't mean to say it, Missy, I didn't indeed. I hope I know my position better than that. But this here little trumpery what-you-call-it, you must accept it as a Christmas present from us all. Yes, that's what you must do; for I'm bothered if I take it back.”
“You must,” repeated Missy very calmly. “I think you mean to break my heart between you with your kindness. Here's the box and here's the bangle.”
John William looked once and for all into the resolute light eyes. Then first he took the box and put the lid on it, and stowed it away in his breastpocket; and after that he took that gold bangle, very gingerly, between finger and thumb, and spun it out into the centre of the brown river, where it made bigger, widening bangles, that took the best part of a minute to fail and die away. Then everything was stiller than before; and stillest of all were the man and the woman who stood facing each other on the bank, speckled with the steep sunlight that came down on them like rain through the leaves of the river-timber overhead.
“That was bad,” said Missy at last. “Something else was worse. It's not much good your trying to hedge matters with me; and for my part I'm going to speak straight and plain for once. If I thought that you'd gone and fallen in love with me—as sure as we're standing here, Jack, I'd put myself where you've put that bangle.”