“I think you are very heartless, all the same,” said Ronald.
“Listen to me, Ronald"--
“You will go and marry one of these middle-aged people with red hair”–
“Be quiet,” said Joe, stamping her little foot. “Listen to me. I will not marry you because I like you and I do not love you, and I never mean to marry any middle-aged person. I shall not marry at all, most probably. Will you please to imagine what life would have been like if we had married first, and found out afterwards that we had made a mistake.”
“Of course that would have been awful,” said Ronald. “But then it would not be a mistake, because I love you–like anything, Joe!”
“Oh, nonsense! You are quite mistaken, my dear boy, because some day you will fall desperately in love with some one else, and you will like me just as much as ever”–
“Of course I should,” said Ronald indignantly. “Nothing would ever make any difference at all!”
“But, Ronald,” retorted Joe laughing, “if you were desperately in love with some one else, how could you still be just as fond of me?”
“I don’t know, but I should,” said Ronald. “Besides, it is absurd, for I shall never love any one else.”
“We shall see; but of course if you never do, we shall always be just the same as we are now.”