Part 43 (2/2)

He started away, a stern look came into his face.

”Say that again,” was his answer, after a full minute of dead silence.

”I am engaged to another,” I said faintly.

”And yet you have dared to say that you love me?”

”It is true.”

”In that case you do not love the man to whom you have given your promise?”

”I do not.”

”But what does this mean? This puzzles me.”

He put up his hand to his forehead as if to push away a weight. He was standing up, and the pallor of his face frightened me.

”I do not understand,” he said. ”I had put you on a pedestal--are you going to prove yourself common clay after all? but it is impossible.

Who is the other man?”

Then I told him.

He uttered a sharp exclamation, then turned on his heel and walked away to the window. He stood there looking out, and I looked at him as his figure was silhouetted against the sky.

After a time he turned sharply round and came back to me and sat down.

He did not sit close to me as he had done before, but he spoke quietly, as if he were trying to keep himself in control.

”This is very sudden and terrible,” he said; ”very inexplicable too. I suppose you will explain?”

”I will,” I said. ”I knew you were coming to-night; I was cowardly enough to wish that you would not come, but I will explain.”

”You are engaged to the man I used to see you talking to at 17 Graham Square?”

”Yes,” I said; ”do not speak against him.”

”I would not be so cruel,” he answered. ”If you have promised yourself to him, he must merit some respect; tell me the story.”

So I told Jim just the same story I had told Jasmine that morning. I did not use quite the same words, for he did not take it so calmly. I had never seen his self-possession shaken before. As my story drew to an end he had quite a bowed look, almost like an old man; then he said slowly--

”It was my fault; I should not have gone away. To think that you were subjected to this, and that there was no escape.”

”There was no escape,” I said. ”Could I have done otherwise?”

”G.o.d knows, child, I cannot say.”

”I could not,” I replied slowly. ”If you had been me you would have acted as I have done; there are times when one must forget one's self.”

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