“You be most wickedly wrong. He is the soul of honour.”
“Then let me come now with you.”
“Not for the world. He would never forgive me if anybody heard of this meeting. It is vital to his interests that it should be supposed he is far away.”
“Cannot you see there is danger for you in this?”
“Danger with him? How little you know what love means for all your talk, Elias!”
“It is because I know what love means that I care so much. Let me be somewhere near—out of sight and earshot of speech, but not too far off for a cry to reach me if you wanted help.”
“Each word you say makes me hate you worse, Elias Bassett.”
“At least let me stop here an’ see you home again afterward.”
“Never! I’ve done with you. You ban’t a good man. Besides, you would have to wait for hours. I be very early for our meeting. Nicholas will not be there afore eleven o’clock.”
“And if you never come home again, Minnie Merle?”