“Partly? What else? Captain Warren, my brother has hinted—he has said—What does he mean by holding someone to a promise? Answer me truthfully.”
“I shouldn’t answer you any other way, Caroline. Steve seems to be worried about—now you mustn’t mind my speakin’ plain, Caroline; the time’s come when I’ve got to—Steve seems to be worried about the young man you’re engaged to. He seems to cal’late that Mr. Dunn may want to slip out of that engagement.”
His niece looked at him. Then she turned to her brother. “You went to him and.... Oh, how could you!”
Stephen would not meet her gaze. “Well,” he muttered rebelliously, “why wouldn’t I? You know yourself that Mal hasn’t been near you since it happened. If he wasn’t after—if he was straight, he would have come, wouldn’t he? Mind, I don’t say he isn’t—perhaps he doesn’t know. But, at any rate, something must be done. We had to face possibilities, and you wouldn’t listen to me. I tried—”
“Stop!” she cut him short, imperiously. “Don’t make me hate you. And you,” turning to her uncle, “did you listen and believe such things? Did you encourage him to believe them? Oh, I know what you think of my friends! I heard it from your own lips. And I know why you think it. Because they know what you are; because they exposed you and—”
“There, there! Caroline, you needn’t go on. I’ve heard your opinion of my character afore. Never mind me for the minute. And, if you’ll remember, I ain’t said that I doubted your young man. You told me that you thought the world and all of him and that he did of you. That’s enough—or ought to be. But your brother says you wrote him two days ago and he ain’t been near you.”
“I misdirected the letter. He didn’t receive it.”
“Um-hm. I see. That would explain.”
“Of course it would. That must be the reason.”
“Yes, seem’s if it must.”