lanctha. You
act always, like I been responsible all myself for all our loving one
another. And if its anything anyway that ever hurts you, you act like
as if it was me made you just begin it all with me. I ain't no coward,
you hear me, Melanctha? I never put my trouble back on anybody,
thinking that they made me. I certainly am right ready always,
Melanctha, you certainly had ought to know me, to stand all my own
trouble for me, but I tell you straight now, the way I think it
Melanctha, I ain't going to be as if I was the reason why you wanted
to be loving, and to be suffering so now with me." "But ain't you
certainly ought to be feeling it so, to be right, Jeff Campbell. Did I
ever do anything but just let you do everything you wanted to me. Did
I ever try to make you be loving to me. Did I ever do nothing except
just sit there ready to endure your loving with me. But I certainly
never, Jeff Campbell, did make any kind of way as if I wanted really
to be having you for me."

Jeff stared at Melanctha. "So that's the way you say it when you are
thinking right about it all, Melanctha. Well I certainly ain't got
a word to say ever to you any more, Melanctha, if that's the way its
straight out to you now, Melanctha." And Jeff almost laughed out to
her, and he turned to take his hat and coat, and go away now forever
from her.

Melanctha dropped her head on her arms, and she trembled all over and
inside her. Jeff stopped a little and looked very sadly at her. Jeff
could not so quickly make it right for himself, to leave her.

"Oh, I certainly shall go crazy now, I certainly know that," Melanctha
moaned as she sat there, all fallen and miserable and weak together.

Jeff came and took her in his arms, and held her. Jeff was very good
then to her, but they neither of them felt inside all right, as they
once did, to be together.

From now on, Jeff had real torment in him.

Was it true what Melanctha had said that night to him? Was it true
that he was the one had made all this trouble for them? Was it true,
he was the only one, who always had had wrong ways in him? Waking or
sleeping Jeff now always had this torment going on inside him.

Jeff did not know now any more, what to feel within him. He did not
know how to begin thinking out this trouble that must always now be
bad inside him. He just felt a confused struggle and resentment always
in him, a knowing, no, Melanctha was not right in what she had said
that night to