'Hitherto.'
Hazel did not immediately answer. She sat watching the heap of acorns and the hand that was arranging them, a quiet smile upon her lips. What had she said to Josephine about "diamonds from a hand that you do not love"?whereas even acorns, from a hand that
With a sudden scarlet flush she turned away, and bending down on the other side, began to gather mosses on her own account.
'Come, Hazel,' said her companion'the tangle has got to be encountered, and I think we shall go into it most safely together.'
'I could not tell you,' she said, 'and you could not tell me. Nobody but oneself can disentangle "why" and "whether" and "what".'
Rollo cast a quick glance up at her, which probably brought him all the intelligence he wanted; for he only remarked audaciously that she 'would know better some day.'
'I could not make you understand, Mr. Rollo. And unless you understood, you would just think there could not be room in my head for a single spark of sense.'
'You don't know what I think of your head. Wellif you see a little shoot of confidence in me starting up in your mind, encourage it, Hazel!'
'I shall never see it, Mr. Rollo.'
'Nor encourage it, of course. WellI am in a bad way.'