“For my sake—for my sake——” Half-choked, she broke off.
“Honest now? Honest?”
She did not realize till that moment all it would mean to her to see him no more.
“For my own sake——” Suddenly her hands tightened about his and she pressed them to her face. “For my sake—never! never!”
“And do you think that I——” He gathered her into his strong arms. “Let them talk!” he breathed passionately against her cheek. “We’ll win the town in spite of it!”
CHAPTER XVIII
THE CANDIDATE AND THE TIGER
The town’s talk continued, as Katherine knew it would. But though she resented it in Bruce’s behalf, it was of small importance in her relationship with him compared with the difference in their opinions. She was in constant fear, every time he called, lest that difference should come up. But it did not on the next day, nor on the next. He was too full of love on the one hand, too full of his political fight on the other. The more she saw of him the more she loved him, so thoroughly fine, so deeply tender, was he—and the more did she dread that avoidless day when their ideas must come into collision, so masterful was he, so certain that he was right.