"It may not be now as we hoped, of course." She noticed that his words came haltingly. "Everything will have to be different."
"But nothing in your life ought to be altered," she said; "it mustn't be different."
"You can't disregard facts, dear. Where we shall live it's impossible to say yet; but we shall find some corner of the earth where no one knows us."
For the first time it dawned on her what he meant. And forgetful of herself, the sick girl, and everything else, she sank down on her knees with a cry, and sobbed:
"I won't let you! You shall not do it! You know the world so little. You are far too young. You don't know what you are doing. You mustn't sacrifice yourself.... I don't want to ruin you. I love you too well for that."
He bent back her head and stroked the hair out of her eyes. Oh! if there had not been that heavenly light of goodness and of suffering in his eyes! A whole world of grief already burned in their depths.
"If we've come to the question of sacrifice," he said, "then I must ask you to make a sacrifice for me. Will you?"
"Yes--anything. Do you want me to die? Say it."
"I only want you to do one thing. Come to me as you are. Don't bring a single bit of your property with you. Never go back to your ... that flat. From this moment let it all be as if it had never been. Promise me that."
She struggled against a feeling of shock.