"Yes!" cried his heart. "Wait," said his brain.
Reason warred with emotion; he stood at the crossroads of his life.
And the stronger, cleaner side of the man rose up in his soul's defence.
He must prove himself, know himself before Jill could become his wife.
He took a vow then and there to pass through a period of probation. But Jill was worth waiting for.
If she cared? ... A doubt stabbed him and he set his teeth, his face dogged.
He would win her—come what may! His thoughts forged fast ahead, he felt the keen thrill of pursuit.
And then the figure of his friend, square set, with honest eyes—that other lover of Jill's—flashed up into the foreground of the picture.
He felt ashamed. He thought of Bethune with a sudden new understanding; the deep sincerity of the man, the meaning of his last words...
Here was love at its highest, purged from all mere passion—a love based on unselfishness, its one object Jill's happiness.