"Yes."
"I see," she said softly. She had understood.
"She will get better," she said, "and then you can come again."
"No. I've told you. I must be with my wife."
"I thought—" said Maggie.
"Never mind what you thought," he said with a quick, fierce impatience.
"Are you fond of her?" she asked suddenly.
"You know I am," he said; and his voice was kind again. "You've known it all the time. I told you that in the beginning."
"But—since then," said Maggie, "you've been fond of me, haven't you?"
"It's not the same thing. I've told you that, too, a great many times. I don't want to talk about it. It's different."