"I don't want any more, Cutty; never any more. I've been a silly,
romantic fool!"
"Not silly, only glorious."
"Your poor face!"
"Banged up? Well, honestly, it feels as it looks, Kitty, this chap was
going to give himself up in exchange for you. Not a word of protest, not
a question. All he said was: 'I am ready.' That's why I'm always going
to be on his side."
"He did that--for me?"
"For you. Did it never occur to you that you're the sort folks always
want to do things for if you'll let them?"
"God bless you, Cutty!"
"He's always blessing me, Kitty. He blessed me with your mother's
friendship, now yours. Kitty, I'm going to jilt you."
"Jilt me?"--her heart leaping.
"Yes, ma'am. We can't go through with that mummery. We aren't built that
way. I'll figure it out in some other fashion. But marriage is a sacred
contract; and this farce would have left a scar on your honest mind.
You'd have to tell some man. Your kind can't go through life without
being loved. Would he understand? I wonder. He'll be human or you
wouldn't fall in love with him; and always he'll be pondering and
bedevilling himself with queer ideas--because he'll be human. Of course
there's a loophole--you can sue me for breach of promise."
"Please, Cutty; don't laugh! You're one of those men they call
Greathearts. And now I'm going to tell you something. It wasn't going
to be a farce. I intended to become your true wife, Cutty, make you as
happy as I could."
Cutty patted her hand and got up. Lord, how bruised and sore his old
body was!... His true wife! She might have been his if he had not missed
that train. But for this hour, hot with life, she might never have
discovered that she loved Hawksley. His true wife! Ah, she would have
been all of that--Molly's girl!
"Will you mind waiting here until I see where old Stefani Gregor is?"
"No," answered Kitty, dreamily.
Cutty limped to the door. Outside he leaned against the partition. Done
in, body and soul. Always opening the gates of paradise for somebody
else... His true wife! Slowly he descended the stairs.
Alone, Kitty smoothed back the dank hair from Hawksley's brow, which she
kissed. Benediction and good-bye.