"What about them?" I asked innocently.
"Were they in love with each other—years ago—before she married Mr. Beaumont?"
I nodded. "They were engaged, and Anne was very young. She had never seen much of other men, and when Mr. Beaumont came along, with his air of foreign distinction, she was fascinated and broke off her engagement. But she never really cared for Mr. Beaumont——"
"And you think Mr. Dabney has—has stayed single for her sake?"
"I think so. Yes."
"And you think he loves her still——?"
"You heard what he said to-night?"
"I don't call that love," she cried. "If he cared, he'd tell her. He couldn't help it. It would just come—if he really loved her——"
"He thinks that she has never cared—and he isn't an impetuous boy——"
"I know—but he's a man." She was all aglow. "And if he cared, his heart would say, 'I love you, I love you, I love you,' and then his lips would say it——"