"I have been trying this afternoon to make her break off the engagement, but I have failed, so I shall have to do it myself."
"But it is outrageous, abominable! You have no right to treat my daughter so."
"I have no right," he said, "to treat any woman in the world with less than entire honesty, and least of all your daughter."
Something in his voice penetrated through her anger into her mind and mitigated her glance a little as she answered:
"What do you mean? Why least of all my daughter?"
There was a little pause, then his simple words fell very quietly on the silence. "Because," he said, "for over thirty years I have loved you."
She could not answer for a moment so deep was her amazement, and then, as so often is the case, she could only repeat his words.
"Loved me!"
"Yes, you. I have never married, never in my life used the word love to any woman until I met Grisel, and that was because you were always there in my memory, and there was no room for anyone else."
"But I did not even remember you!"