eft no opening for her objection; it swept all
merely verbal obstacles before it. She listened, content in a measure.
So long as he sat at the distance which she had arranged before his
coming she did not fear any personal violence. Moreover, it was a
satisfaction to her now to hear him, who had refused her, pleading in
vain. The more sincere his eloquence, the larger her satisfaction; she
had no pity for him now.

'I know I was a fool, Stephen! I had my chance that day on the hilltop;
and if I had felt then as I feel now, as I have felt every moment since,
I would not have been so cold. I would have taken you in my arms and
held you close and kissed you, again, and again, and again. Oh, darling!
I love you! I love you! I love you!' He held out his arms imploringly.
'Won't you love me? Won't--'

He stopped, paralysed with angry amazement. She was laughing.

He grew purple in the face; his hands were still outstretched. The few
seconds seemed like hours.

'Forgive me!' she said in a polite tone, suddenly growing grave. 'But
really you looked so funny, sitting there so quietly, and speaking in
such a way, that I couldn't help it. You really must forgive me! But
remember, I told you the subject was barred; and as, knowing that, you
went on, you really have no one but yourself to blame!' Leonard was
furious, but managed to say as he dropped his arms:

'But I love you!'

'That may be, now,' she went on icily. 'But it is too late. I do not
love you; and I have never loved you! Of course, had you accepted my
offer of marriage you should never have known that. No matter how great
had been my shame and humiliation when I had come to a sense of what I
had done, I should have honourably kept my part of the tacit compact
entered into when I made that terrible mistake. I cannot tell you how
rejoiced and thankful I am that you took my mistake in such a way. Of
course, I do not give you any credit for it; you thought only of
yourself, and did that which you liked best!'

'That is a nice sort of thing to tell a man!' he interrupted with cynical
frankness.

'Oh, I do not want to hurt you unnecessarily; but I wish there to be no
possible misconception in the matter. Now that I have discovered my
error I am not likely to fall into it again; and that you may not have
any error at all, I tell you now again, that I have not loved you, do not
love you, and never will and never can love you.' Here an idea struc