"I'm doing it for your good, beloved."
Shadows grew apace; light clouds laced the west; a hush was in the air, as if trees, bushes, and flowers were listening intently for a message which had evaded them all the day.
Perigal's distress wrung Mavis' heart.
"I can bear it no longer," she presently cried.
"Bear what, sweetheart?"
"Your pain. My heart isn't made of stone. I almost wish it were. Listen. You want me?"
"What a question!"
"Then you shall have me."
He looked at her quickly. She went on:
"We will not get married. But I give you myself."