Always
until now he had responded to the recklessness of her mood, he had
seemed to understand her without the need of words. Her brows met in an
angry frown. Was he a coward? Did he fear Marshall Langham? Once more
she rested her hand on his arm. "Jack, dear Jack, are _you_ going to
fail me, too?"
"What would you have me say or do, Evelyn?" he demanded impatiently.
She regarded him sadly.
"What has made you change, Jack? What is it; what have I done? Why did
you not answer my letters? Why did you not come to see me?"
"I only learned that you were in town this afternoon," he said.
"Yes, but you had no intention of coming, I know you hadn't! You would
have left Mount Hope without even a good-by to me!"
"It is hard enough to have to go, Evelyn!"
"It isn't that, Jack. What have I done? How have I displeased you?"
"You haven't displeased me, Evelyn," he faltered.
"Then why have you treated me as you have?"
"I thought it would be easier," he said.
"Have you forgotten what friends we were once?" she asked softly. "You
always helped me out of my difficulties then, and you told me once that
you cared--a great deal for me, more than you should ever care for any
woman!"
"Yes," he answered shortly, and was silent.
He would scarcely have admitted to himself how foolish his early passion
had been, for it was at least sincere and there could have been no
sacrifice, at one time, that he would not have willingly made for her
sake. His later sentiment for her had been a disgracing and a
disgraceful thing, and he was glad to think of this boyish love, since
it carried him back to a time before he had wrought only misery for
himself. She misunderstood his reticence, she could not realize that she
had lost the power that had once been hers.
"What a mistake I made, Jack!" she cried, and stretched out her hands
toward him.
He fell back a step.
"Nonsense!" he said. He glanced sharply at her.
"How stupid you are!" she exclaimed.
She half rose from her chair with he