Her heart sank at these words, for already his visits had come to assume an important part in her scheme of life.
"For a long time?" she asked him.
"For six months. Will you come with me?"
"I can't leave Mrs. Quirk," she faltered. "Not yet. Wait until you return."
"I may never come back," he urged.
"Surely you cannot expect me to come with you, like this, at a moment's notice?" she pleaded.
He put his arm around her, the first time he had touched her, and she did not shrink from him.
"You love me, Kathleen. I am sure of it. I cannot wait until I return. Come with me to Melbourne—now, at once. We shall be married there," he said, in a low voice.
"But I can't leave Mrs. Quirk like this. It would be so horribly ungrateful," she protested.