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He fell back from the bench with a sharp exclaht She went on hurriedly, again not looking at

him: "When you showed me that you cared for me--when you told me that you did--

I--do you think I wanted to care for you? I wanted to do solect of hirateful If I had loved you, what I did would

have been for that--and I could not have done it And how could I have

shown ratitude if I had done it for love? And it has been such dear,

happy work, the little I have done, that it seems, after all, that I have

done it for love of myself But--but when you first told , half inarticulate little laugh that was

half tears; and then resuht--that night ere here--how could I be sure? It had been only

two days, you see, and even if I could have been sure of myself, why, I

couldn't have told you Oh! I had so brazenly thrown ain, those two days, in oodness toin his friend the hero of ht to think I cared; but if--but if I had

--if I had--loved you with my whole soul, I could not have--why, no woirl I am couldn't have ad to do for you eyou You surely see I couldn't have done it if I had

cared It would have been brazen! And do you think that then I could have

answered--'Yes'--even if I wanted to--even if I had been sure of ain to a whisper "And now----"

From the meadows across the creek, and over the fields, cao, at this hour, John Harkless had

listened to that sound, and its great lonesomeness had touched his heart

like a cold hand; but now, as thefrom the water and the

sh the dim,

immeasurable blue distances, he found no loneliness in heaven or earth He

leaned forward toward her; the bench was between the had fallen