"They have?" vehemently, and smiting the rock where she sat with her hand, as she spoke. "But this is truly awful!"
"Then you do not care for him?" questioned Jo, joyfully.
"Care for him?" repeated Cyn, irritably. "Of course I care for him! Is it not my pet scheme that he should marry Nattie? Certainly it is, and has been from the first! And now, if he has gone and fallen in love with me, a nice predicament we will all be in. But you must be mistaken! I cannot believe him capable of such a thing! The only reason I have to fear it is that I would not have credited it of you yesterday!"
"But you see I do love you. You believe I do, do you not, Cyn?" asked
Jo, too eager to press his own suit to give much thought to Nattie and
Clem. "Why will you not try and love me, as you do not love Clem? Am I
so homely as to be repulsive to you?"
"Homely? Nonsense!" replied Cyn, momentarily putting aside her newest anxiety for the previous one, "now I come to think of it, I had rather marry you than any man I know!"
"Would you? Would you really?" seizing her hand hopefully. "Then why will you not?"
Cyn allowed her hand to remain in his as she said slowly and impressively,
"I cannot marry. That is entirely out of the question for me. Of my life, love can form no part!"
"But I thought you believed in love?" said Jo, looking perplexed, but clinging to her hand as a sort of anchor.
"I do. I believe it is the best happiness of life. But it cannot be for me. Why, I will tell you. I owe this much in return for what you have given me; what I prize even though I am compelled to refuse it. What stands between us is the memory of a love—gone forever."