She gazed at him wonderingly.
“That’s clever talk,” she said. “Or I suppose it is. I’m talking just simply—I want to say what I feel—”
“Never do that!” and he smiled. “People who say what they feel never have any friends!”
She gave a little movement of impatience.
“Oh, you won’t be serious!” she exclaimed. “I really do wish to make you see what I mean! You’ve been so very, very good and kind to Jack—you’ve done so many generous things—and I thought you were quite different,—I thought you were selfish—”
“So I am!” he declared. “Thoroughly, hopelessly selfish! Now listen to me, you funny child!—listen, and you’ll see how selfish I am!” Here he took the little hand that lay on his arm and looked at it. “Not wearing an engagement ring yet? No? Ah, but you’ll have it on to-day some time, mark my words! And I thank heaven I’m not the man to give it to you!”
Her soft blue eyes questioned him silently.
“Don’t look at me like that!” he said, gruffly. “It makes no effect upon me! It’s very pretty—but I’m not to be ‘drawn’! I say I thank heaven I’m not the man who will put an engagement ring on that little finger of yours! I might have been!—it was a near thing at one time, wasn’t it?—that was when I thought it was all up with Jack and that you might be left all alone in the world. In that case I should have had to marry you!”
“Had to marry me?” she echoed,—and she withdrew her hand from his. “Surely there was no compulsion?”
“Oh, wasn’t there!” and he nodded portentously. “To my mind there was! Duty, duty! I considered myself bound to look after you. Why? Because you are a little sentimentalist, likely to be duped and ‘done’ by every one that ‘speaks you fair.’ You are bound to be protected and defended from a mischievous world. I was prepared to do it—I would have made the sacrifice—I would have submitted to the rack!”