Her hands were in mine: her eyes, looking up to mine, had tears in them.
I saw that she had misunderstood, but I saw that if I were to save her I
must save her through love. I felt the hot blood rush, for very shame,
into my face, stinging it red for punishment.
"Forgive me, Elsie," I began, my throat choked with shame, "I can't
explain, I didn't--"
For answer she kissed me, both arms around my neck, as she said, "Oh, I
am so happy."
She was silent, her hands in mine. They burned me, yet to turn them
loose, to tell her truthfully, and she keyed so to the sensitiveness and
unthinking romance--I thought of the pool and Ophelia.... She laughed
happily: "Tell me, Jack, your Elsie, when did you find that you loved me
so? Was it because of my thoughts of you in the horror and folly of my
flirtation with Braxton Bragg?"
"Never mind," I said; "you are never to mention that name to me."
"Oh, Jack," she hid her face on my bosom.
"You are not to speak of anything disagreeable. Only we'll just love
each other, Elsie."
"Oh, please, please, just let me tell you a little, so that you will
always understand me--your silly Heart's-Ease. It was this way, Jack:
suppose now, suppose you were placed this way--that you were very
lonely--always had lived in a cabin, and so much you wished to see the
world--that in you was a strange, queer longing, a feeling that you had
been born for higher things--and--all at once right out of the sky--that
which you longed for came--the star of your soul."
She hid her head on my arm. She was weeping.
"Go on, child," I said; "I am listening.
"And he--he would not tell you he was your prince; then you felt that
strange feeling again, only worse--to go away--to leave yourself--well,
then another comes--I do not know, only he did--I had only seen him
twice, and each time he was very kind, but so fulsome and so bold, that
well--I would not meet him again and so he wrote...."
She was silent for a moment and then she spoke suddenly. "Oh, I fear I
did wrong to see the other--to answer his note. I was so unhappy
then--so wretched then, for I did not know that--that--you loved
me--then!"
"Elsie, promise me--" I began.
"Please don't, Jack, dear Jack, it is all right now. I have written him
already. I wrote him I'd never see him again and never to write me."
"And if he does, will you tell me, turn his note over to me?"