“Angry with you?” she replied, pretending to mistake his meaning. “Why, every woman thinks as you do. If women, in bestowing their affection, had to choose among the men returning from the war, the choice I am sure would be in favor of those who have suffered most cruelly.”
He shook his head:
“You see, I am asking for something more than affection and a more definite answer to what I said. Shall I remind you of my words?”
“No.”
“Then your answer . . . ?”
“My answer, dear friend, is that you must not speak those words again.”
He put on a solemn air:
“You forbid me?”
“I do.”
“In that case, I swear to say nothing more until I see you again.”