Slowly, with infinite hesitations, the bit of cambric held to a face that was wet and white, she turned to him.
“I thought you would forget. I thought you would marry. I thought you would be happy. I hoped so that you would. But my leaving you, the divorce, the marriage, these things were done with no idea of happiness. They were to serve as barriers between us.”
Impotently he stamped a foot. He was furious still. But his anger had deflected. He was enraged less at her than at circumstances.
“Rubbish! That’s what your barriers are.”
Leilah, wiping her eyes, turned from him. The barriers, however fragile, were not rubbish to her.
Violently he continued:
“As for Barouffski——”
But Leilah, turning to him again, interrupted:
“Gulian, let me tell you. Last night I planned to have some one ask you, for my sake, to go away. Gulian, I thought you would, but I determined if you would not that I would go.”
Verplank moved back.