"Yes."
Such a relief! Though what was to be gained by waiting? What must be must be.
Indeed an older man might have seen the wisdom of speaking at once. But Strathay looked wistfully at me for a moment, then turned away with a big, honest schoolboy sigh; and something like a sob broke his voice as he whispered:—
"I—I would do anything to serve you."
Then he went away.
Perverse! I will marry him. Other women take husbands so. I like him; I should like him even if he were not an Earl—and his name a career.
I shall make Strathay as fine a Countess as any cold, blonde English girl, and he'll be proud of me, and every man will envy him. I shall wrong him less than I should have wronged John Burke. I should have hated John if I had married him, for he'd expect love, where Strathay will be content to give it. Why, the one honest thing I've done was to break with John.
I wish I could afford to keep on being honest!