"When you came to me, when you spoke to me, my heart leapt as if--well,

as if something good had happened to me--something that had never

happened before. When I went away the picture of you standing at the

door, waving your hand, went with me, and--stayed with me. I could not

get you out of my mind--could think of nothing else. Even in the

meeting with my father, whom I hadn't seen for so long, the thought of

you kept with me. I tried to get rid of it--to forget you, but it was

of no use: sleeping and waking, you--_you were with me!_"

His voice grew almost harsh in its intensity, and the hand that had

hung so stilly beside her closed on the skirt of her dress in her

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effort to keep the hot blush from her face.

"When I rode out the next day it was only with the hope of seeing you.

It seemed to me there was only one thing I wanted: to see you again; to

look into your eyes, to hear you speak. All that I had heard about

you--well, I dwelt upon it, and I felt that I must help you. It seemed

as if Fate--Chance--oh, I don't know what to call it!--had _sent_ me to

help you. And when I saw you--ah, well, I can't expect you to

understand what I felt!"

He stopped again, as if he himself were trying to understand it.

"The feeling that fate had something to do with it--you see, it was

quite by chance I started fishing that afternoon, that I saw you at the

house--gave me courage to ask you to let me help you. It sounded

ridiculous to you--of course it did!--but if you only knew how much it

meant to me! It meant that I should see you again; perhaps every day

for--for a long time: ah, well, it meant just life and death to me. And

now--!"

His breath came fast, his eyes dwelt upon her with passionate

eagerness; but he forced himself to speak calmly than he might not

frighten her from his side, might not lose her.

--"Now the truth has come upon me, quite suddenly. It was just now when

I saw that you cared what had happened to me, cared if I were

hurt!--Oh, I know, it was just because you were frightened, it was just

a woman's pity for a fellow that had come to harm, the fear lest I had

broken any bones; but--ah, it showed me my heart, it told me how much I

loved you! Yes; I love you! You are all the world to me: nothing else

matters, _nothing!_"




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