His face was ashen. He had come to his feet, shaken and uncertain. It was as if each word of hers had been a stab.
"I am glad we can agree so perfectly on that point. Will you kindly close the hail door as you go out?"
She turned from him and took up a book from the table at her elbow. Gilmore moved toward the door, but paused irresolutely. His first feeling of furious rage was now tempered by a sense of coming loss. This was to be the end; he was never to see her again! He swung about on his heel. She was already turning the leaves of her book, apparently oblivious of his presence.
"Am I to believe you—" he faltered.
She looked up and her eyes met his. There was nothing in her glance to indicate that she comprehended the depth of his suffering.
"Yes," she said, with a drawing in of her full lips.
"When I leave you—if you really mean that—it will be to leave Mount Hope!" said he appealingly.
The savage vigor that was normally his had deserted him, his very pride was gone; a sudden mistrust of himself was humbling him; he felt wretchedly out of place; he was even dimly conscious of his own baseness while he was for the moment blinded to the cruelty of her conduct. Under his breath he cursed himself. By his too great haste, by a too great frankness he had fooled away his chances with her.
"That is more than I dared hope," Evelyn rejoined composedly.
"If I've offended you—" began Gilmore.