"Not unless you care for me," I said. "You say you are only interested in me. Well, say you love me, and then I'll do anything you wish. I won't look at or speak to or think of any other man in the world."
"Well, suppose I admit that. Suppose I were to tell you that I do love you, what would you want then, Nora?"
"Why, nothing," I said. "That would be everything to me, don't you see? I'd go to school then, just as you want me to, and I'd study so hard, and try to pull myself up till I was on your level—"
"Oh, good God!" he said, "you are miles above me now."
"Not socially," I said. "In the eyes of the world I'm not. I'm just a working-girl, and you're a man in—in—fashionable society, rich and important. I guess you could be President if you wanted to, couldn't you?"
"Oh, Nora!" he said, and I went on:
"Yes, you might. You can't tell. Suppose you got into politics. You said your grandfather was governor of your State. Well, why shouldn't you be, too? So don't you see, to be your wife, I'd have to—"
"To be—what?" he interrupted me, and then he said sharply and quickly:
"That's out of the question. Put all thought of anything like that out of your head. Suppose we change the subject right now. What do you say to a little sleigh-ride?"
I nodded and I tried to smile, but he had hurt me as hard as it is possible for a man to hurt a woman.