"Please!"
"There's nothing to forgive," she repeated dully. But she had controlled her voice now and her fingers in his were struggling for release.
"I was a brute, Beth. I'd give everything to have those moments back. I wouldn't hurt you for the world. See—how changed I am——"
She released her fingers and turned slightly away.
"I—I'm changed too, Mr. Nichols," she murmured.
"No. You mustn't be, Beth. And I've got to have you back. You've got to come back to me, Beth."
"Things can't be the same now."
"Yes—just the same——"
"No. Something's gone."
"But if something else has taken its place——"