"Ah—that was why——"
"Won't you forgive her?"
"I forgive you both. I don't know how I should have felt if you'd been happy. I can't see anything but your unhappiness."
"We gave it up because of you. That was Anne. She couldn't bear going on after she knew you, when you were such an angel. It was your goodness and sweetness broke us down."
"But if I'd been the most disagreeable person it would have been just as wrong."
"It wouldn't, for in that case we shouldn't have deceived you. I should have told you straight and left you."
"Why didn't you tell me, Jerrold? Why didn't you tell me in the beginning?"
"We were afraid. We didn't want to hurt you."
"As if that mattered."
"It did matter. We were going to tell you. Then you were ill and we couldn't. We thought you'd die of it, with your poor little heart in that state."