Part 30 (2/2)
She shook her head slightly.
”Why not?” he asked.
”I've been thinking. I can't go back.”
”Can't go back! Why not?”
”I can't.”
”You mean you'd feel too deeply humiliated?”
”I wasn't thinking of my own disgrace. I was thinking of mother and father.” There was no trace of emotion in her voice; she stated the fact calmly.
”I can't go back to Brookhollow. It's ended. I couldn't bear to let them know what has happened to me.”
”What did you think of doing?” he asked uneasily.
”I must think of mother--I must keep my disgrace from touching them--spare them the sorrow--humiliation----” Her voice became tremulous, but she turned around and sat up in her chair, meeting his gaze squarely. ”That's as far as I have thought,” she said.
Both remained silent for a long while. Then Ruhannah looked up from her pale preoccupation:
”I told you I had three thousand dollars. Why can't I educate myself in art with that? Why can't I learn how to support myself by art?”
”Where?”
”Here.”
”Yes. But what are you going to say to your parents when you write?
They suppose you are on your way to Paris.”
She nodded, looking at him thoughtfully.
”By the way,” he added, ”is your trunk on board the _Lusitania_?”
”Yes.”
”That won't do! Have you the check for it?”
”Yes, in my purse.”
”We've got to get that trunk off the s.h.i.+p,” he said. ”There's only one sure way. I'd better go down now, to the pier. Where's your steamer ticket?”
”I--I have _both_ tickets and both checks in my bag. He--let me have the p-pleasure of carrying them----” Again her voice broke childishly, but the threatened emotion was strangled and resolutely choked back.
”Give me the tickets and checks,” he said. ”I'll go down to the dock now.”
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