an give and get freedom." What had changed her? I did not know; I did
not waste time in puzzling; I did not tempt fate by asking. "You are
poor, she is rich," I reminded myself. "That makes it impossible for you
to hesitate. You must give her no excuse for thinking you lack pride."

Thus I reasoned and planned, my temper back in its kennel and peaceful
as a sheep. That evening I avoided being alone with her; just as I was
debating how to announce that I must be leaving by the first train in
the morning a telegram came from Roebuck calling me to Chicago at once.
When we were all going to bed, I said to Mrs. Ramsay: "I shall see you
and Ed in the morning, but"--to Carlotta--"you don't get up so early.
I'll say good-by now,"--this in the friendliest possible way.

I was conscious of Mrs. Ramsay's look of wonder and anxiety; of Ed's
wild stare from Carlotta to me and back again at her. She bit her lip
and her voice was unsteady as she said: "Oh, no, Harvey. I'll be up."
There was a certain meekness in her tone which would probably have
delighted me had I been what is usually called "masterful."

When I came down at seven o'clock after an unquiet night, Carlotta was
lying in wait for me, took me into the parlor and shut the door. "What
do you mean?" she demanded, facing me with something of her wonted
imperiousness.

"Mean?" said I, for once feeling no resentment at her manner.

"By leaving--this way," she explained with impatience.

"You heard Mr. Roebuck's telegram," said I.

"You are angry with me," she persisted.

"No, Carlotta," said I. "I was, but I am not. As soon as I saw what you
wished, I was grateful, not angry."

"What did I wish?"

"To let me know as gently and kindly as you could that you purposed to
end our engagement. And I guess you are right. We do not seem to care
for each other as we ought if we--"

"You misunderstood me," she said, pale and with flashing eyes, and in
such a struggle with her emotions that she could say no more.

If I had not seen that only her pride and her vanity were engaged in the
struggle, and her heart not at all, I think I should have abandoned my
comfortable self-deception that my own pride forbade discussion with
her. As it was, I was able to say: "Don't try to spare me, Carlotta, I'm
glad you had the courage and the good sense not to let us both drift
into irrevocable folly. I thank you." I opened the door into the hall.
"Let us talk no more about it. We could say t