't touched your supper," she said in a
small voice. "Mayn't I--send you something from the house?"

"No!" he cried swiftly. "Not your pity--nor your charity, neither!"

Colina fumbled weakly with the latch--and her hand dropped from it.

"Why don't you go?" he cried sharply. "I can't stand it. I know you
hate me. I tell myself that every minute. Be honest and show you hate
me, not act sorry!"

"I do not hate you," she whispered.

He faced her with a kind of terror in his eyes. "For God's sake, go!"
he cried. "You're building up a hope in me--it will kill me if it
comes to nothing! I can't stand any more. Go!"

His amazed eyes beheld her come falteringly toward him, reaching out
her hands.

"Ambrose--I--I can't!" she whispered.

He caught her in his arms.

Colina broke into a little tempest of weeping, and clung to him like a
child. He held her close, stroking her hair and murmuring clumsy,
broken phrases of comfort.

"Don't! My dear love, don't grieve so! It's all right now. I can't
bear to have you hurt."

"I love you!" she sobbed. "I have never stopped loving you! It was
something outside of me that persuaded me to hate you. I've been
living in a hell since that night! And to find you like this! Nothing
to eat but bread and salt pork! Every word you said was like a knife
in my breast. And not a single word of reproach!"

"There!" he said, trying to laugh. "You didn't put me here."

She finally lifted a tear-stained face. Clinging to his shoulders and
searching his eyes, she said: "Swear to me that you are innocent, and
I'll never have another doubt."

He shook his head. "No more swearing!" he said. "If you let yourself
be persuaded by the sound of the words, as soon as you left me and
heard the others you'd doubt me again. It's got to come from the
inside. Words don't signify."

Colina hung her head. "You're right," she said in a humbled voice. "I
guess I just wanted an excuse to save my pride. I do believe in
you--with my whole heart. I never really doubted you--I was ashamed,
afraid, I don't know what. I was a coward. But I suffered for
it--every night. Do you despise me?"

He laughed from a light breast.

"Despise you? That's funny! It was natural. A damnable combination
of circumstances. I never blamed you."

They were silent for a few moments. She looked up to find him smiling
oddly.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing much," he said. "I was think