"In one particular matter," said she slowly, at last. "It seems to me a woman should be stubborn. She should have her own say about the man she is to marry."
"How much time have you had to decide on this?"
"Plenty. Twenty-four hours, or a little less—no, I'll say twenty minutes. Plenty. Uncle—he kissed me—before the world. I can't take it back—we have given—I have promised. Uncle, I have promised—well, all through me."
"Stop where you are!" said he. "Have you disgraced us all so soon? Has it gone so far? However that is, you shall go no further."
He rose, his fingers on the table-top, rapping in emphasis.
"My dear," he said, "I am older than you, and I have seen the world more than you have. I recognize fully enough the dynamic quality of what you call love—what I call merely sex in younger human beings. It is a thing of extreme seriousness, that's true. But the surest thing about all that sort of thing is that it changes, it passes. You will forget all this."
"You do me much honor!" said Anne Oglesby, coloring. "You speak with much delicacy. But love me, love my lover."
The swift resistance of a strong nature seemed suddenly to flash out at Judge Henderson from her gray eyes. Suddenly he turned and took her arm. He escorted her to the inner room, which served as his own study and consultation chambers.
"Come here," said he. "Well have to talk this thing over quietly. This is a terrible matter—you don't know how terrible. There's a lot under this that you don't know at all. Anne, my dear girl, what can I say to you to alter you in this foolish resolve?"
"Nothing! I'm going to see his mother this very afternoon. He told me to come, so I could meet his mother——"