‘Perhaps men don’t tell things in the awful way women do? He doesn’t generally tell things, does he?’
She could hardly bear to listen for his reply.
‘No. I don’t think so.’
‘Make it be as if you’d never known me. Oh, don’t talk about me!’
‘I won’t. I promise.’ He looked at her; and she knew by his eyes how deeply she was making him suffer.
After a long time she added:
‘One more thing. Of course I know that whatever he’d done you’d feel just the same towards him, wouldn’t you?...’
‘I love Roddy ...’ he said, his breath, his whole being struggling in anguish.... ‘I’ve always had him—ever since I can remember ... more to me than a brother ever could have been. But if I thought——’ His voice altered, grew terrible—‘if I thought he’d done you an injury——’
‘It was nothing he could be blamed for,’ she said slowly, with intense concentration: ‘It was my fault. If I thought it was going to come between you I should be more unhappy than ever. Will you see that it doesn’t?’
‘I’ll do my best,’ he said in a dead voice.