"Oh, my dear, did you suppose I'd hurt you that way?"
"That was what we couldn't bear. Not being straight about it. That was why we gave each other up. It never happened again. Anne's going away so that it mayn't happen…. Maisie—you do believe me?"
"Yes, I believe you. I believe you did all you knew."
"We did. But it's my fault that Anne's going. I lost my head, and she was afraid."
"If only you'd told me. I shouldn't have been hard on you, Jerry. You knew that, didn't you?"
"Yes. I knew."
"And you went through all that agony rather than hurt me."
"Yes."
"The least I can do, then, is to let you go."
"Would you, Maisie?"