Oh, yes! I dare say it is so. I have no doubt he admires her. Everybody does. It is not only her face; she is lovable and womanly and gentle; everything I am not,” exclaimed Cicely with most unaccustomed bitterness.
“Cicely!” ejaculated Mrs. Methvyn. In the extremity of her amazement she could say no more.
“Oh! mother, don’t be shocked at me, said Cicely. “I am so unhappy, so very unhappy, I don’t know what I am saying. Oh! mother, I wish there were no such thing as marrying in the world!”
“What is it, dear? Is there anything wrong between you and Trevor? Is he disappointed at your wishing to put off your marriage?” asked Mrs. Methvyn, anxiously.
“Yes,” replied Cicely. “He is more than disappointed. He has spoken very cruelly to me. He is cruel. And I don’t deserve it. I have not put off our marriage, mother. It is Trevor that wished to hurry it on in a way that had never been thought of. It is inconsiderate in the extreme of him. I don’t understand him; he is quite, quite changed.”
Two or three large tears gathered in the troubled eyes and rolled slowly down the pale face. And Cicely so seldom cried!
Her mother kissed her silently.
“I can’t bear to see you so unhappy, my darling,” she said at last. “Tell me more about it. How is he changed? You cannot doubt his affection; his very eagerness to hurry on things is a proof of it.”
Cicely shook her head.
“I don’t doubt his affection,” she said, “if I did I could not marry him. But there is something I don’t understand. A few months ago he was so gentle and considerate—so understanding. To-day he was quite different. When I told him that six months hence was quite as soon as I could agree to our marriage taking place, he got quite angry and indignant. He accused me of not caring for him, mother; of making false excuses with the hope of delaying it indefinitely—perhaps for ever—of all sorts of feelings and schemes that he knows I am incapable of. In fact, he quite forgot himself. And, mother, my reasons were right and good ones; a few months ago, yes, even a few weeks ago, he would have completely entered into them. If I did not know—” she hesitated and stopped.