Part 46 (2/2)
”And never come back, never?”
”Not unless I am sent for. Life is short and holds enough pain at best. I have several projects in mind, and I shall be free to follow them where they lead. I'll go to Mexico first. They've barely scratched the resources down there. Later I go to South America. Afterward--I haven't planned. I'll simply follow the lead. There's work enough to do.”
The girl looked at him--through eyes that held their old marvel, almost their old fear.
”You can cut yourself off so, from all the old life, really?” she voiced.
”Yes, Elice.”
It was finality absolute, the last word, the ultimatum.
”And still you love me?” breathed the girl low.
”More than I love life. You don't doubt it.”
From her seat the girl arose abruptly and pa.s.sed the length of the room with long, unconscious strides, like a man. She made no effort at dissimulation or concealment now. The time for that was past. She merely fought--openly, but in silence. Once she sat down for a moment; but for a moment only. Again she was on her feet. A bit later she asked the time, and very quietly Roberts told her. She went to the window in the front of the house commanding the street and scrutinized its length. She returned and resumed her seat.
”Can I help you in any way, Elice?” asked Roberts, gently.
The girl shook her head.
”No,” she said steadily. ”No one can help me. I can't even help myself.
That's the curse of it. There's nothing to do but wait.” The folded hands changed position one above the other, and after a moment returned as before. ”Do you understand?” she queried without preface.
An instant Roberts hesitated, but an instant only.
”Yes, I think so. You intimated you were expecting some one to come.”
”Something to happen,” subst.i.tuted the girl.
”It's all the same,” evenly.
Silence followed for a s.p.a.ce while they sat there so; breaking it, the girl looked at the other directly.
”I have refused him definitely,” she said, without consciousness of the seeming ambiguity of the remark. ”I did so last night.”
”Yes,” very low; and that was all.
The girl drew a long breath, like one preparing for the unknown.
”I could see no other way of finding out for sure. Like yourself, nothing seemed to me so bad as uncertainty.”
”Yes,” once more; just ”yes.”
”He sat just where you are sitting now; and when I told him he laughed.”
A second the brown eyes dropped, then in infinite pathos they returned to the listener's face. ”You know how he laughs when he's irresponsible. It was horrible.”
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