“I was, but it’s broken off. I had a moment’s talk with her before we left last night. I was in a temper about a lot of things, and the business with Silas put the cap on it. Anyhow, we had words, and the thing is broken off.”
“Oh, dear me,” said Miss Pinckney. The joyful shock of the news seemed to have reduced her mind to chaos for a moment. One could not have told from her words or manner whether the surprise was pleasant or painful to her.
She drew her chair back from the table a little, and sought for and found her handkerchief. She dried her eyes with it as she found her voice.
“I don’t know, I don’t know, I’m sure. I’ve prayed all night that this might be, and now that the Lord has heard my prayer and answered it, I feel cast right down with the wonder of it. Had I the right to interfere? I don’t know, I’m sure. It seems terrible to separate two people but I had no thought only for you. I’ve spoken against the girl, and wished against her, and felt bad in my heart against her, and now it’s all over I’m just cast down.”
“She did not care for me,” said Pinckney. “Why she was laughing at me last night with him. They were sitting outside together, and when I passed them I heard them laughing at me.”
Miss Pinckney put her handkerchief away, drew in her chair, and poured herself out some more tea energetically and with a heightened colour.
“I don’t want to speak bad about any one,” said she, “but there are girls and girls. I know them, and time and again I’ve seen girls hanging themselves out with labels on them. ‘I’m the finest apple on the tree,’ yet no one has picked them for all their labels, because every one has guessed that they aren’t—That crab apple labelling itself a pippin and daring to laugh at you! And that long loony Silas Grangerson, a man without a penny to bless himself with, a creature whose character is just kinks. Well, I’m sure—pass me the butter—laughing at you. And what were they laughing at pray? Aren’t you straight and the best looking man in Charleston? Couldn’t you buy the Rhetts twice over if you wanted to buy such rubbish? Aren’t you the top man in Charleston in name and position and character? Why, they’ll be laughing at the jokes in the N’York papers next—They’ll be appreciating their own good sense and cleverness and personal beauty next thing—They’ll be worshipping Bryan.”
“Oh, I don’t think they’ll ever get as bad as that,” said he laughing, “but I don’t think I care whether people grin at me or not; it’s only just this, she and I were never meant for each other, and I found it out, and found it out in time. You see the engagement was never made public, so the breaking of it won’t do her any harm. She would not let me tell people about it, she said it would be just as well to keep it secret for a while, and then if either of us felt disposed we could break it off and no harm done.”
“Meaning that she could break it off if she wanted to but you couldn’t.”
“Perhaps. When I went back last night and told her I wanted to be free, she flew out.”