“No. A man whose good or bad conduct depends on anyone but himself is not my ideal of a man.”
“Tell me what your ideal is, so that I may try to attain it.”
Margaret was silent.
“You think it will be useless for me to try?”
“As far as I am concerned, yes.”
“Margaret, I want to ask you one more question. I have no right to, but I beg you to answer me. Are you in love with anyone else?”
“No!” cried Margaret hotly. “How dare you ask me such a question?”
“Oh, it is not a crime—that is, being in love with someone else is not. I’ll tell you why I dare ask. I swear, by all the gods, that I shall win you—if not this year, then next; and if not next, then the year after. I was a coward to talk as I did; but I love you more now than I did even then. All I want to know is that you are not in love with another man.
“I think you are very cruel in persisting as you do, when you have had your answer. I say no. Never! never! never!—this year nor any other year. Is not that enough?”
“Not for me. A woman’s ‘no’ may ultimately mean ‘yes.’”