Of course she did and said so.
“And I'm awfully proud of you, too,” she told him.
“Nothing to be proud of; I'm lucky, that's all. And don't you see, dear, how this is going to help us? I shall be earning good pay and I shall save every cent possible, you can bet on that. Rooms are furnished by the company for single men, and houses, nice, comfortable houses, for the married ones. In three months, or in six at the most, I shall have added enough to what I have saved already to make it possible for us to be married. And we WILL be married. Just think of you and me having one of those pretty little houses for our own, and being there together, in our home! Just think of it! Won't it be wonderful!”
He looked down into her face and smiled and she, looking up into his, smiled, too. But she shook her head, nevertheless.
“Yes, dear,” she said, “it would be wonderful. But it's too wonderful to be true, I'm afraid.”
“Why? Nonsense! Of course it can be true. And it's going to be, too, in six months, perhaps sooner.”
But still she shook her head.
“It can't be, Nelson,” she said, sadly. “Don't you see it can't? There is father.”
“Your father will be all right. That's one of the good things about this new job of mine. You will be only a little way from him. He'll be here at the light, with Zach to look after him, and you can come over every few days to make sure things are going as they should. Why—”
She touched his lips with her fingers.