Generosity may impose silence,
but it cannot obliterate an insult or heal a wound.

Christian came into the room; he heard her come, but he would not look
round. She slid her hand into his arm.

"Larry! Dear! Listen to me; there's no way out of it but patience! Dr.
Mangan says he _must_ be kept absolutely quiet, and have nothing
to annoy him. He says he might die in an instant in one of those
attacks. He's not himself now, Larry--so little makes him lose
self-control--" She paused, but Larry did not speak. "You couldn't
want me to sacrifice the little share of life left to him to our
happiness; I know you couldn't! Larry, he's an old man; it can't be
for very long--"

"I don't see that that follows," said Larry, implacably. "He had
strength enough to blackguard me very thoroughly, and it hasn't done
him any harm. It seems to me, _I'm_ the one to be sacrificed!"

"He spoke to Mother about us--about what you said to him. He began
about it the instant he could speak. She--" Christian hesitated,
"she could only quiet him by saying there was no engagement between
us."

"Then she said what wasn't true!"

"Oh, it _must_ be true!" said Christian, desperately; "it's got
to be true--"

"Very well," said Larry, moving away, so that her hand fell from his
arm. "If it's got to be true I suppose there's no more to be said. I
may as well go. After all, I daresay you're well quit of me. Your
father says I'm a damned Papist and--"

"I won't listen to you!" broke in Christian. "What's the use of
hurting me and hurting yourself like this? Larry, I'll wait for you
for ever--you know that--time will make no difference. Don't make it
harder for me than it must be!"

"You don't seem to think much about _me_" said Larry, with a
still rage that was a new thing with him. He left her side, and walked
steadily to the door; then he turned, and in a few quick steps came
back to her. He put his hands on her shoulders; he was not much taller
than she, and his eyes looked straight into hers.

"Then it's true, is it? You're off it? You've given me the chuck?"

He spoke roughly, and gripped her harder than he knew, and in the
tension of her nerves, the roughness of the words and action cut her
like the stroke of a whip. Almost as if he had struck her, a splash of
colour came in her face.

Larry was blind to the torture in her eyes, but he saw the quick red,
and knew he had hurt her high spirit, and was glad.

"If you like to put it in t