He had taken her hands in his own, and his face was beaming with love, and his voice was melting with tenderness as he spoke to her, and tried to meet her eyes.
But she withdrew her hand and turned away her face; she loved him and hated him at the same moment; her heart was breaking, and she wished for death. But she never dreamed of flinching from her duty! He continued:
“This is no time, my own love, for false delicacy or womanish etiquette! I cannot possibly leave you here exposed to the terrible dangers that are impending over the city! In revolutions, my Elfie, the innocent are sacrificed with the guilty! I cannot leave you here, exposed to the horrors of the coming days! I must make you my wife; take you with me to Virginia, and leave you under the protection of my widowed mother! She is alone, Elfie! She has no other son but myself, and no daughter at all! She will receive my beloved wife as a dear daughter, my Elfie! Come! what say you, my own? Do not avert your head! Let me see your sweet face! Turn toward me! smile on me. Oh, my Elfie! make me happy!”
“Oh! Leave me! Leave me! Leave me!” she exclaimed, in a passion of indignation, as she started up, flung off his hand, and walked across the room.
This time he heard her, understood her, and gazed upon her in astonishment, incredulity and agitation.
“Elfrida! is this acting? Or is it real madness? What do you mean?” he exclaimed, going toward her.
“Keep off!” she said, so shortly, so curtly, so sternly, that he stopped suddenly, like a man on the brink of a precipice.
“Tell me what you mean by this, Elfie!” he cried.
“What I mean by this! I mean to be true to my country! Next to my duty to God, I rank my duty to my country! And I will be faithful to her; though my heart should break in its fidelity?!” passionately exclaimed Elfie.
“Your native State is your country! To her alone is your allegiance due. She is about to secede from the Union; and she has a right to do so. And it is your duty to go with your State!”