Part 13 (1/2)
Anna was silent She was tre a little The man's passion was infectious She had to school herself to speak the words which she kneould cut him like a knife
”You are mistaken, David I have counted you, and always hoped to count you, the best of my friends But I do not love you I do not love any one”
”I don't believe it,” he answered hoarsely ”We have coether for me to believe it You care for me a little, I knoill teach you how to make that little sufficient”
”You came to tell me this?”
”I came for you,” he declared fiercely
The hansoh the crowded streets Anna suddenly leaned forward and looked around her
”We are not going the right way,” she exclai my way,” Courtlaered ”Anna,” he pleaded, ”be merciful You care for me just a little, I know You are alone in the world, you have no one save yourself to consider Coht Your old rooms are there, if you choose I kept theht of your empty chair and the chill loneliness of it all nearly sent me mad”
Anna lifted her hand and pushed open the trap door
”Drive to 13, Montague Street, cab, and turned round Courtlaw sat with folded ar
”My friend,” she said, ”no! Letwould induce me to marry you, or any man at present I am a pauper, and as yet I have not discovered how to earn ht my own little battle with the world--there must be a place for me somewhere, and I mean to find it Afterwards, it may be different If I were toall my life--a sort of parasitical creature without blood or muscle I should lose every scrap of independence--even ood you were to me, and however happy I was in other ways, I should find this intolerable”
”All these things,” he muttered bitterly, ”this desperate resolve to take your life into your own hands, your unnatural craving for independence, would never trouble you for a moment--if you really cared”
”Then perhaps,” she answered, with a new coldness in her tone, ”perhaps I really do not care No, don't interrupt me I think that I ast those strong enough in all ordinary matters, but who seeive in at once and play the weakling directly--one cares Do you think that it ant belief that love is the only thing in the world worth having, and to sacrifice for it independence, self-respect, one's whole scheme of life I cannot do it, David
Perhaps, as you say, I do not really care--but I cannot do it”
He was strangely silent He did not even reply to her for several minutes
”I cannot reason with you,” he said at last wearily ”I speak from my heart, and you answer from your brain”
”Believe entler tone, ”wisely for you too, as well as o back, take up your work and think all this over Presently you will see that I aht, and then you shall take your vacation over here, and ill be good coain”
He smiled bitterly as he handed her from the cab He declined to come in
”Will you tell Sydney that I will see hi at the Savoy He can come round there”
”You will shake hands with ers and lifted his eyes to hers So he saw thereshapely hand warive o straight to her room without delay, and she at once locked the door with a little sigh of relief She found herself struggling with a storgled fiercely not to give way