"But not if she was in trouble?"
"Well, no, sir, not if she was in trouble. But you see, at that time I was expecting to be able to get her out of that."
"I see. But didn't her condition affect your attitude toward her—cause you to want to straighten the whole thing out by giving up this Miss X and marrying Miss Alden?"
"Well, no, sir—not then exactly—that is, not at that time."
"How do you mean—'not at that time'?"
"Well, I did come to feel that way later, as I told you—but not then—that was afterwards—after we started on our trip to the Adirondacks."
"And why not then?"
"I've said why. I was too crazy about Miss X to think of anything but her."
"You couldn't change even then?"
"No, sir. I felt sorry, but I couldn't."