“But I will wait! I could—I could try to make you care for me—that way! Margaret! May I—try?”
“Oh, you will mistake what I mean,” she cried regretfully. “Listen; perhaps I can make you understand. When you spoke of coming here to live, and when I tried to discourage you, I was hoping that you’d pay no heed to me and that you would come in spite of all I said. I thought it would be so nice to have you here—coming to see us—and all. And Phil likes you so much, and mamma, too. You are so big and capable and—and—— Don’t you see, it was just selfishness? I wanted you for a friend—some one I could look to for help and advice in my miserable little quandaries. I—I liked you; that is all.”
“I see.” Presently:
“Yes, I’m glad you told me that; very glad. Please keep right on liking me, if you can. And I—” he turned, facing her with a sudden rigid setting of his jaws and a narrowing of his dark gray eyes, “I’m going to keep on loving you, you know,” he said almost fiercely. “You can’t help that. And you needn’t forbid me,” he added, as she made a gesture of dissent. “It’s beyond you. And I’m not going to stop hoping until you’re—married to some one else. You can’t forbid that, either!”
“But I must! You mustn’t! Please—please——”
“Do you mean that you could never care for me—under any circumstances—no matter what happened?”
“I—oh, how can I tell what I could do or might do?” she cried. “Only—I feel that it is hopeless—useless!”
“Then—then there is some one else, after all?” he asked dully.
“You have been very patient and kind to me,” she replied, “and I will answer that, although you have no right——”