She got up and crossed over to the fire, replacing a brand that had fallen down; came back to her cushion and sat there a minute with her hands folded.
'A year ago,' she said, 'when you drove home with me from
Moscheloo,you had no new views, Mr. Rollo. None in practice.
In a sense, you and I were on the same ground.'
'Well?'said he, a little anxiously.
'Then in the winter,I partly guessed first from Dr. Maryland's words what you told me,in effect, yourself. And at first I liked it,I thought I was glad.'
'At first'echoed Rollo.
'At first,' Hazel repeated. 'It suited me, to have you take the highest stand you could, and Mrs. Coles stirred up enough antagonism to keep me from knowing that I was anything but glad.'
'Why should you be anything but glad?' said Dane, in tones which did not reveal the surprise which was growing upon him.
'I did not know that I wasuntil you came. Mr. Falkirk kept up the antagonism, and I had not much time to think. But when you came' She hesitated a little, then went steadily on. It was so like Hazel, to do what she had to do, if it took her through fire and water!'I had left you standing in one place,' she said, 'and you had moved quite away to another. And I knewthat standing thereyou would never have seen me.'
'That is a conclusion you have no right to,' said Dane calmly.
'No matterit is true. You eyes would have been set for other things, and your appreciation would have been all changed and different. I knew it then, that night. You talked of things I but half understood, and your face was all shining with a light that did not fall on me. And partly it mortified me,I was used to having at least some vantage ground; and partly it brought back the old loneliness, which hadperhapsjust a little bit gone away. Then you left me a lesson.'