She only shook her head.
"But you must!" said he at last. "You are cruel. You don't know."
"What is that, Don? What do you mean? Oh, I see—it is because of her. It's Anne! There's someone else you love, more than you do me."
"Yes!" he confessed, "more than I do life. That's the reason I must know all about myself. Can't you see I've got to play fair? There's Anne!"
"Who is she, Don—you've never told me very much yet."
"Anne Oglesby—her family lived at Columbus before she was left alone. You know her—why, she's the ward of Judge Henderson, here in town. I believe she was left a considerable estate, and he handles it for her. She's been here. She's told me about this place—she's seen you, maybe—before I ever did. Yes—it's Anne! I've got to think of her. I don't dare drag her into trouble—my hands are tied."
He rose now, and in his excitement walked away from his mother, so that he did not note her face at the moment.
"You see, we met from time to time back East in our college town. I never told her much about myself, because I didn't know much about myself, really, when it comes to that. I said I was an orphan, and poor. But—I'd made all the teams—and I've studied, too. I was valedictorian, in spite of all, Mother. They don't amount to much, usually—valedictorians—but I was sure I would—when I knew that Anne——
"I didn't know about our caring for one another until we found we had to part—just now, today, this morning on the train before I got off here. Then we couldn't part, you know. So just before we passed through this town, right on the train—today, in less than half an hour before I met you—this morning, this very day, I—we—well——"
"Yes, Don," she said, "I know!" Her eyes were very large, her face very pale.