“I’m sorry for that,” she said... “I so want you to understand. Please try... And be a little patient with me. Once she spoke to me about you. She didn’t say much. But she had your photograph in her room, and when she looked at it the tears were in her eyes. And then—”
Julie broke off abruptly and searched about after words. He waited in silence. She had at least succeeded in gaining his attention. But his interest was not of an entirely agreeable order. A heavy frown contracted his brows, and the grey eyes sought the dust of the road in preference to her earnest face. There was that in the quality of the dust that was seemingly absorbing.
“She spoke of her wasted youth,” the girl went on in a voice scarcely above a whisper. “I wish—oh! how I wish I could give you some idea of the sorrow in her voice,—the longing. She’s proud. She tried to hide her emotion. But I know.”
He turned towards her suddenly, making no pretence of misunderstanding, though she had mentioned no name, to whom she referred.
“You’ve allowed your love of romance to lead you astray,” he said curtly. “I am a better judge than you are in this matter.”
“Ah! now,” she cried quickly, “I have angered you, and done harm.”
“Not so,” he returned. “I shall cease to think of what you have told me. You’ve jumped to a wrong conclusion, that’s all. The friend you speak of took away her friendship from me long ago. It was her own doing. She would not thank you for your intercession.”
“You are hard,” she said unexpectedly. The accusation hit him; it was what he had recently called himself. “And you’re wrong. I understand better than you do—perhaps because I’m a woman, and have suffered myself.”
“You are not a woman,” he said, with sudden gentleness of manner. “You are a child almost, and to children their sorrows appear disproportionately great. As for suffering! ... Who among us can expect to escape his share? And a little suffering is not harmful. The human heart that hasn’t been through the fire is inclined to be shallow. All the pleasant pools in life are shallow; the great thoughts and the great deeds come from the deep seas.”
They walked for a while in silence after his last speech. When they had covered a few yards in this manner Julie stopped and offered to take the cycle.