“Aneth,” said he, more quietly, “this is no time for evasions or misunderstandings between us. I have told you that I love you, that my earnest desire is to make you my wife. You need a protector at this moment, and a delay is as foolish as it is dangerous to your interests. If you love me at all, you can tell me so to-day as well as later.”
“Ah, that is it, Prince! I’m afraid that I do not love you in the way that you wish,” answered the girl, aroused to a more dignified tone by his persistence. “I am very grateful to you, Prince Kāra, and appreciate the honor of your proposal; but I have nothing more to offer you than my sincere friendship.”
“Then I will accept that as sufficient for the time being,” said he. “I will marry your friendship, Aneth, and perhaps the love will some time follow.”
“Oh, I cannot allow that!” she cried, distressed. “I am sorry to hurt you when you are so kind to me; but can’t you see that I am unnerved and unhappy to-day, and that if you force me to answer you, I can only say ‘no’?”
He grew thoughtful at this, studying her features carefully. After a moment he replied:
“I will not press the question further now, but will give you two days for consideration. Will you answer me at the end of that time?”
She hesitated, knowing already what the answer would be and that it was best he understood her at once. Yet to her inexperienced mind it seemed more easy to postpone the matter until she had time to collect her thoughts and reply to Kāra more gently and effectively.
“Yes,” said she, answering him; “come to me in two days, please.”
To her surprise he bowed gravely and at once left the room; but the relief she experienced made her glad that she had found this simple way to evade her present difficulties. In two days she would know better what to say to him.
Kāra was astonished at his own forbearance. Where he might have threatened and compelled he had merely implored, and he could not in the least understand the mood that had swayed his actions. But while in the girl’s presence he seemed not to be himself, or even to know himself.