"Robert—don't go. Come back—come back. I can't bear it."
He came back at that cry.
"I haven't told you the truth. I lied."
"When?" he said sternly.
"Just now. When I told you that I didn't care for you."
"Well?"
"Sit down—here, on the sofa. I'll try and tell you."
He sat down beside her, but not near. She leaned forward with her elbows on her knees, and her head propped on her clenched hands. She did not look at him as she spoke.
"I said I didn't care, because I thought that was the easiest way out of it. Easiest for you. So much easier than knowing the truth."
He smiled grimly.