'Yes, to Ashanti,' he replied.
Each seemed as if afraid to trust themselves to words of their own. What he was doing while he spoke he scarcely knew; but he was trying to fit on the top of his fingers in succession a tiny silver thimble picked from her work-basket, and in every case without success.
The doubts in the mind of each still kept the cold cloud between them—she believing that the love he might speak of again was prompted by worldly selfishness combating with family pride: he fearing that she received his love as inspired by fear of the mortgages alone.
'Surely this is very sudden?' said she, after a pause.
'Oh no, we have expected a move for some time past—you will miss me, I hope?'
'We have not seen much of you lately.'
'However, I should like to take with me into my place of exile—for such I deem it—a knowledge, a hope that you did miss me a little.'
Bella was about to reply, what she knew not, but a choking emotion came into her white, slender throat. Jerry saw the emotion, and gathering courage, said,
'Do you remember, Bella, that more than once I had struggled with the love with which you had inspired me till I could keep the secret no longer.'
Jerry was still on the wrong tack, and was again terribly misunderstood. Bella's pride and indignation came again to her aid, and she replied, with a haughty smile,