"I mean that I—— Well——"
"You'd better not say it. Besides, it's nonsense. I doubt if you've given her a thought for weeks and weeks."
"Until I came here perhaps that was almost nearly true. But you've stirred me up, sweet cousin, and old things, old memories and habits have come to the surface again. Mary wrote herself over my life—in all sorts of places.... I can't tell you. I've never talked of her to anyone. I'm not able, very well, to talk about my feelings.... Perhaps a man of my sort—doesn't love twice over."
I disregarded a note of dissent from my cousin. "That was all so magic, all my youth, all my hope, all the splendid adventure of it. Why should one pretend?... I'm giving none of that to Rachel. It isn't there any more to give...."
"One would think," remarked the Fürstin, "there was no gift of healing."
She waited for me to speak, and then irritated by my silence struck at me sharply with that wicked little tongue of hers.
"Do you think that Lady Mary Justin thinks of you—as you think of her? Do you think she hasn't settled down?"
I looked up at her quickly.
"She's just going to have a second child," the Fürstin flung out.