Part 15 (1/2)
”No!” he answered curtly.
”It wasn't badly sprained at all,” she persisted. ”I was only--” She caught herself, with a shock. ”I was only frightened, I think.”
”I don't believe you.”
”But it's the truth.”
”Then it was not the truth in the first place.”
There it was now, her best occasion to come out with it. But no; she could not.
”It's not so bad as I feared,” she stammered.
”I trust not. A sprain is a bad business.”
”But you'll go back now!” she pleaded.
”No.”
”Oh, why won't you?”
”I've started.”
”That's not the reason!” she cried desperately.
”True, there's another reason. That makes two.”
”What other reason?”
”I want to ask Huntington about his health.”
The deviltry had come back into his voice; and just ahead of them she saw the fork of the road.
”There's a third reason too, I'm afraid,” she answered bitterly.
”What's that, do you think?”
”You want to punish me!”
”Perhaps--a little.”
”Do you think that's--”
”n.o.ble? Manly? Kind? Generous?” he broke in.
”Do you really think it's worth your while to punish me?” she asked with pa.s.sionate irony.
”Yes.”
”But why?”