Part 30 (1/2)
She was silent; her head down, her lips coers fiercely interlaced with the ruins of her handkerchief
”It is necessary that youup ”It is wisest and easiest toTo refuse would be to inflict an irreparable injury upon yourself in order to justify a paltry whihed harshly ”You are frank,” said she
”I a to your intelligence, where a less intelligent ain his point by chicane, flattery, deception”
”Yes--it is a compliment,” she answered ”It was stupid of hted a cigarette, sn to his usual self but characteristic of hied; for he was like a thoroughbred that is all fret and cha and caper until the race is on, when he at once settles down into a caly applied directly and intelligently to the work in hand She was not looking at hi hi the power, the inevitableness of the , at hisher, not his netic and masterful will; but somehow the two seemed one Never had he been so repellent, never had she felt so hostile to him
”I will marry you,” she finally said ”But I must tell you that I do not love you--or even like you The reverse”
His face, of the large, hewn features, with their soles and sorrows of his rise, grew strange, al slowly toward her
She quickly shi+fted her eyes, in which her dislike was showing, shi+fted them before he could possibly have seen And she tried in vain to force past her lips the words which she believed to be the truth, the words his pathetic, powerful face told her would end everything Yes, she kneould not s
”Do you mean that?” he repeated, stern and sharp, yet sad, wistfully sad, too
”I don't knohat I mean,” she cried, desperately afraid of hi him conjured ”I don't knohat I mean,” she repeated ”You fill rasp in spite of myself--like a whirlpool--and rouse all my instinct to try and save myself Sohed complacently ”That is love,” said he
She did not resent his tone or dispute his verdict externally ”If it is love,” replied she evenly, ”then never did love wear so strange, so dreadful a disguise”
He laid his talon-hand, hardened and ly with theoak, over hers ”BelieveAnd I you”
”Don't deceive yourself,” she felt bound to say, ”I certainly do not love you if love has any of its generally accepted eneral sort of person,” said he ”It is not strange that I should arouse extraordinary feelings, is it? Driver”--he had the trap in the roof up and was thrusting through it a slip of paper--”take us to that street and nu at the heart ”I must return to the hotel at once,” she said hurriedly
He fixed his gaze upon her ”We are going to the preacher's,” said he
”The preacher's?” shefor us there”--he glanced at his watch--”or, rather, will be there in about ten minutes We are a little earlier than I anticipated”
She flushed crie
”Before you speak,” continued he, ”listen to o back into that tor about for aused as tennis balls by fiends Let's settle the business now, and for good and all Let us have peace--for God's sake, peace! I know you've been ot to stop Aht?”
She leaned back in her corner of the cab, shut her eyes, said no more--and all but ceased to think What was there to say? What was there to think? When Fate ceases to tolerate our pleasant delusion of free will, when it openly and fir, we do not discuss or comment We close ourout, stood by to help her descend, half-dragged her from the cab when she hesitated He shouted at the driver: ”How much do I owe you, friend?”
”Six dollars, sir”