Therewasanotherpause——solongandsodreadfulthatAnnewasdrivenatlasttolookup。Gilbert’sfacewaswhitetothelips。
Andhiseyes——butAnneshudderedandlookedaway。Therewasnothingromanticaboutthis。Mustproposalsbeeithergrotesqueor——horrible？CouldsheeverforgetGilbert’sface？
\"Isthereanybodyelse？\"heaskedatlastinalowvoice。
\"No——no，\"saidAnneeagerly。\"Idon’tcareforanyonelikeTHAT——andILIKEyoubetterthananybodyelseintheworld，Gilbert。Andwemust——wemustgoonbeingfriends，Gilbert。\"
Gilbertgaveabitterlittlelaugh。