\"No——Ishouldliketogoaway……myfriendstheFarlowswouldletmegotothem……\"Hervoicegrewfirmerandsheliftedhereyestoadd：\"Ishouldliketoleavetoday，ifyoudon’tmind。\"
Annalistenedwitharisingwonder。
\"YouwanttoleaveGivreatonce？\"Shegavetheideaamoment’sswiftconsideration。\"Youprefertobewithyourfriendstillyourmarriage？Iunderstandthat——butsurelyyouneedn’trushofftoday？Therearesomanydetailstodiscuss；andbeforelong，youknow，Ishallbegoingawaytoo。\"
\"Yes，Iknow。\"Thegirlwasevidentlytryingtosteadyhervoice。\"ButIshouldliketowaitafewdays——tohavealittlemoretimetomyself。\"
Annacontinuedtoconsiderherkindly。ItwasevidentthatshedidnotcaretosaywhyshewishedtoleaveGivresosuddenly，butherdisturbedfaceandshakenvoicebetrayedamorepressingmotivethanthenaturaldesiretospendtheweeksbeforehermarriageunderheroldfriends’roof。
SinceshehadmadenoresponsetotheallusiontoMadamedeChantelle，AnnacouldbutconjecturethatshehadhadapassingdisagreementwithOwen；andifthiswereso，randominterferencemightdomoreharmthangood。
\"Mydearchild，ifyoureallywanttogoatonceIsha’n’t，ofcourse，urgeyoutostay。IsupposeyouhavespokentoOwen？\"
\"No。Notyet……\"
Annathrewanastonishedglanceather。\"Youmeantosayyouhaven’ttoldhim？\"
\"Iwantedtotellyoufirst。IthoughtIoughtto，onaccountofEffie。\"Herlookclearedassheputforththisreason。
\"Oh，Effie！——\"Anna’ssmilebrushedawaythescruple。\"Owenhasarighttoaskthatyoushouldconsiderhimbeforeyouthinkofhissister……Ofcourseyoushalldojustasyouwish，\"shewenton，afteranotherthoughtfulinterval。
\"Oh，thankyou，\"SophyVinermurmuredandrosetoherfeet。
Annarosealso，vaguelyseekingforsomewordthatshouldbreakdownthegirl’sresistance。\"You’lltellOwenatonce？\"shefinallyasked。
MissViner，insteadofreplying，stoodbeforeherinmanifestuncertainty，andasshedidsotherewasalighttaponthedoor，andOwenLeathwalkedintotheroom。
Anna’sfirstglancetoldherthathisfacewasunclouded。
HemethergreetingwithhishappiestsmileandturnedtoliftSophy’shandtohislips。TheperceptionthathewasutterlyunconsciousofanycauseforMissViner’sagitationcametohisstep—motherwithasharpthrillofsurprise。
\"Darrow’slookingforyou，\"hesaidtoher。\"Heaskedmetoremindyouthatyou’dpromisedtogoforawalkwithhim。\"
Annaglancedattheclock。\"I’llgodownpresently。\"ShewaitedandlookedagainatSophyViner，whosetroubledeyesseemedtocommittheirmessagetoher。\"You’dbettertellOwen，mydear。\"
Owen’slookalsoturnedonthegirl。\"Tellmewhat？Why，what’shappened？\"
Annasummonedalaughtoeasethevaguetensionofthemoment。\"Don’tlooksostartled！Nothing，exceptthatSophyproposestodesertusforawhilefortheFarlows。\"
Owen’sbrowcleared。\"Iwasafraidshe’drunoffbeforelong。\"HeglancedatAnna。\"Dopleasekeepherhereaslongasyoucan！\"
Sophyintervened：\"Mrs。Leath’salreadygivenmeleavetogo。\"
\"Already？Togowhen？\"
\"Today，\"saidSophyinalowtone，hereyesonAnna’s。
\"Today？Whyonearthshouldyougotoday？\"Owendroppedbackasteportwo，flushingandpalingunderhisbewilderedfrown。Hiseyesseemedtosearchthegirlmoreclosely。
\"Something’shappened。\"Hetoolookedathisstep—mother。
\"Isupposeshemusthavetoldyouwhatitis？\"
Annawasstruckbythesuddennessandvehemenceofhisappeal。Itwasasthoughsomesmoulderingapprehensionhadlaincloseunderthesurfaceofhissecurity。
\"She’stoldmenothingexceptthatshewishestobewithherfriends。It’squitenaturalthatsheshouldwanttogotothem。\"
Owenvisiblycontrolledhimself。\"Ofcourse——quitenatural。\"HespoketoSophy。\"Butwhydidn’tyoutellmeso？Whydidyoucomefirsttomystep—mother？\"
Annaintervenedwithhercalmsmile。\"Thatseemstomequitenatural，too。SophywasconsiderateenoughtotellmefirstbecauseofEffie。\"
Heweighedit。\"Verywell，then：that’squitenatural，asyousay。Andofcourseshemustdoexactlyasshepleases。\"
Hestillkepthiseyesonthegirl。\"Tomorrow，\"heabruptlyannounced，\"IshallgouptoParistoseeyou。\"
\"Oh，no——no！\"sheprotested。
OwenturnedbacktoAnna。\"NOWdoyousaythatnothing’shappened？\"
UndertheinfluenceofhisagitationAnnafeltavaguetighteningoftheheart。Sheseemedtoherselflikesomeoneinadarkroomaboutwhomunseenpresencesaregroping。
\"Ifit’sanythingthatSophywishestotellyou，nodoubtshe’lldoso。I’mgoingdownnow，andI’llleaveyouheretotalkitoverbyyourselves。\"
Asshemovedtothedoorthegirlcaughtupwithher。\"Butthere’snothingtotell：whyshouldtherebe？I’veexplainedthatIsimplywanttobequiet。\"HerlookseemedtodetainMrs。Leath。
Owenbrokein：\"IsthatwhyImayn’tgouptomorrow？\"
\"Nottomorrow！\"
\"ThenwhenmayI？\"
\"Later……inalittlewhile……afewdays……\"
\"Inhowmanydays？\"
\"Owen！\"hisstep—motherinterposed；butheseemednolongerawareofher。\"Ifyougoawaytoday，thedaythatourengagement’smadeknown，it’sonlyfair，\"hepersisted，\"thatyoushouldtellmewhenIamtoseeyou。\"
Sophy’seyeswaveredbetweenthetwoanddroppeddownwearily。\"It’syouwhoarenotfair——whenI’vesaidI
wantedtobequiet。\"
\"Butwhyshouldmycomingdisturbyou？I’mnotaskingnowtocometomorrow。IonlyaskyounottoleavewithouttellingmewhenI’mtoseeyou。\"
\"Owen，Idon’tunderstandyou！\"hisstep—motherexclaimed。
\"Youdon’tunderstandmyaskingforsomeexplanation，someassurance，whenI’mleftinthisway，withoutaword，withoutasign？AllIaskhertotellmeiswhenshe’llseeme。\"
AnnaturnedbacktoSophyViner，whostoodstraightandtremulousbetweenthetwo。
\"Afterall，mydear，he’snotunreasonable！\"
\"I’llwrite——I’llwrite，\"thegirlrepeated。
\"WHATwillyouwrite？\"hepressedhervehemently。
\"Owen，\"Annaexclaimed，\"youareunreasonable！\"
HeturnedfromSophytohisstep—mother。\"Ionlywanthertosaywhatshemeans：thatshe’sgoingtowritetobreakoffourengagement。Isn’tthatwhatyou’regoingawayfor？\"
Annafeltthecontagionofhisexcitement。ShelookedatSophy，whostoodmotionless，herlipsset，herwholefacedrawntoasilentfixityofresistance。
\"Yououghttospeak，mydear——yououghttoanswerhim。\"
\"Ionlyaskhimtowait————\"
\"Yes，\"Owen，brokein，\"andyouwon’tsayhowlong！\"
BothinstinctivelyaddressedthemselvestoAnna，whostood，nearlyasshakenasthemselves，betweenthedoubleshockoftheirstruggle。ShelookedagainfromSophy’sinscrutableeyestoOwen’sstormyfeatures；thenshesaid：\"WhatcanI
do，whenthere’sclearlysomethingbetweenyouthatIdon’tknowabout？\"
\"Oh，ifitWEREbetweenus！Can’tyouseeit’soutsideofus——outsideofher，draggingather，draggingherawayfromme？\"Owenwheeledroundagainuponhisstep—mother。
Annaturnedfromhimtothegirl。\"Isittruethatyouwanttobreakyourengagement？Ifyoudo，yououghttotellhimnow。\"
Owenburstintoalaugh。\"Shedoesn’tdareto——she’safraidI’llguessthereason！\"
AfaintsoundescapedfromSophy’slips，butshekeptthemcloseonwhateveranswershehadready。
\"Ifshedoesn’twishtomarryyou，whyshouldshebeafraidtohaveyouknowthereason？\"
\"She’safraidtohaveYOUknowit——notme！\"
\"TohaveMEknowit？\"
Helaughedagain，andAnna，athislaugh，feltasuddenrushofindignation。
\"Owen，youmustexplainwhatyoumean！\"
Helookedatherhardbeforeanswering；then：\"AskDarrow！\"
hesaid。
\"Owen——Owen！\"SophyVinermurmured。
XXIV
Annastoodlookingfromonetotheother。IthadbecomeapparenttoherinaflashthatOwen’sretort，thoughitstartledSophy，didnottakeherbysurprise；andthediscoveryshotitslightalongdarkdistancesoffear。
TheimmediateinferencewasthatOwenhadguessedthereasonofDarrow’sdisapprovalofhismarriage，orthat，atleast，hesuspectedSophyVinerofknowinganddreadingit。ThisconfirmationofherownobscuredoubtsentatremorofalarmthroughAnna。Foramomentshefeltlikeexclaiming：\"Allthisisreallynobusinessofmine，andIrefusetohaveyoumixmeupinit——\"buthersecretfearheldherfast。
SophyVinerwasthefirsttospeak。
\"Ishouldliketogonow，\"shesaidinalowvoice，takingafewstepstowardthedoor。
HertonewokeAnnatothesenseofherownshareinthesituation。\"Iquiteagreewithyou，mydear，thatit’suselesstocarryonthisdiscussion。ButsinceMr。Darrow’snamehasbeenbroughtintoit，forreasonswhichIfailtoguess，Iwanttotellyouthatyou’rebothmistakenifyouthinkhe’snotinsympathywithyourmarriage。Ifthat’swhatOwenmeanstoimply，theidea’sacompletedelusion。\"
Shespokethewordsdeliberatelyandincisively，asifhopingthatthesoundoftheirutterancewouldstiflethewhisperinherbosom。
Sophy’sonlyanswerwasavaguemurmur，andamovementthatbroughthernearertothedoor；butbeforeshecouldreachitOwenhadplacedhimselfinherway。
\"Idon’tmeantoimplywhatyouthink，\"hesaid，addressinghisstep—motherbutkeepinghiseyesonthegirl。\"Idon’tsayDarrowdoesn’tlikeourmarriage；Isayit’sSophywho’shateditsinceDarrow’sbeenhere！\"
Hebroughtoutthechargeinatoneofforcedcomposure，buthislipswerewhiteandhegraspedthedoorknobtohidethetremorofhishand。
Anna’sangersurgedupwithherfears。\"You’reabsurd，Owen！Idon’tknowwhyIlistentoyou。WhyshouldSophydislikeMr。Darrow，andifshedoes，whyshouldthathaveanythingtodowithherwishingtobreakherengagement？\"
\"Idon’tsayshedislikeshim！Idon’tsayshelikeshim；I
don’tknowwhatitistheysaytoeachotherwhenthey’reshutuptogetheralone。\"
\"Shutuptogetheralone？\"Annastared。Owenseemedlikeamanindelirium；suchanexhibitionwasdegradingtothemall。Buthepushedonwithoutseeingherlook。
\"Yes——thefirsteveningshecame，inthestudy；thenextmorning，early，inthepark；yesterday，again，inthespring—house，whenyouwereatthelodgewiththedoctor……I
don’tknowwhattheysaytoeachother，butthey’vetakeneverychancetheycouldtosayit……andtosayitwhentheythoughtthatnoonesawthem。\"
Annalongedtosilencehim，butnowordscametoher。Itwasasthoughallherconfusedapprehensionshadsuddenlytakendefiniteshape。Therewas\"something\"——yes，therewas\"something\"……Darrow’sreticencesandevasionshadbeenmorethanafigmentofherdoubts。
Thenextinstantbroughtarecoilofpride。Sheturnedindignantlyonherstep—son。
\"Idon’thalfunderstandwhatyou’vebeensaying；butwhatyouseemtohintissopreposterous，andsoinsultingbothtoSophyandtome，thatIseenoreasonwhyweshouldlistentoyouanylonger。\"
ThoughhertonesteadiedOwen，sheperceivedatoncethatitwouldnotdeflecthimfromhispurpose。Hespokelessvehemently，butwithallthemoreprecision。
\"Howcanitbepreposterous，sinceit’strue？Orinsulting，sinceIdon’tknow，anymorethanYOU，themeaningofwhatI’vebeenseeing？Ifyou’llbepatientwithmeI’lltrytoputitquietly。WhatImeanisthatSophyhascompletelychangedsinceshemetDarrowhere，andthat，havingnoticedthechange，I’mhardlytoblameforhavingtriedtofindoutitscause。\"
Annamadeanefforttoanswerhimwiththesamecomposure。
\"You’retoblame，atanyrate，forsorecklesslyassumingthatyouHAVEfounditout。Youseemtoforgetthat，tilltheymethere，SophyandMr。Darrowhardlykneweachother。\"
\"Ifso，it’sallthestrangerthatthey’vebeensooftenclosetedtogether！\"
\"Owen，Owen——\"thegirlsighedout。
Heturnedhishaggardfacetoher。\"CanIhelpit，ifI’veseenandknownwhatIwasn’tmeantto？ForGod’ssakegivemeareason——anyreasonIcandecentlymakeoutwith！Isitmyfaultif，thedayafteryouarrived，whenIcamebacklatethroughthegarden，thecurtainsofthestudyhadn’tbeendrawn，andIsawyoutherealonewithDarrow？\"
Annalaughedimpatiently。\"Really，Owen，ifyoumakeitagrievancethattwopeoplewhoarestayinginthesamehouseshouldbeseentalkingtogether————！\"
\"Theywerenottalking。That’sthepoint————\"
\"Nottalking？Howdoyouknow？Youcouldhardlyhearthemfromthegarden！\"
\"No；butIcouldsee。HEwassittingatmydesk，withhisfaceinhishands。SHEwasstandinginthewindow，lookingawayfromhim……\"
Hewaited，asifforSophyViner’sanswer；butstillsheneitherstirrednorspoke。
\"Thatwasthefirsttime，\"hewenton；\"andthesecondwasthenextmorninginthepark。Itwasnaturalenough，theirmeetingthere。SophyhadgoneoutwithEffie，andEffieranbacktolookforme。Shetoldmeshe’dleftSophyandDarrowinthepaththatleadstotheriver，andpresentlywesawthemaheadofus。Theydidn’tseeusatfirst，becausetheywerestandinglookingateachother；andthistimetheywerenotspeakingeither。Wecameupclosebeforetheyheardus，andallthattimetheyneverspoke，orstoppedlookingateachother。AfterthatIbegantowonder；andsoIwatchedthem。\"
\"Oh，Owen！\"
\"Oh，Ionlyhadtowait。Yesterday，whenImotoredyouandthedoctorbackfromthelodge，IsawSophycomingoutofthespring—house。Isupposedshe’dtakenshelterfromtherain，andwhenyougotoutofthemotorIstrolledbackdowntheavenuetomeether。Butshe’ddisappeared——shemusthavetakenashortcutandcomeintothehousebythesidedoor。Idon’tknowwhyIwentontothespring—house；I
supposeitwaswhatyou’dcallspying。Iwentupthestepsandfoundtheroomempty；buttwochairshadbeenmovedoutfromthewallandwerestandingnearthetable；andoneoftheChinesescreensthatlieonithaddroppedtothefloor。\"
Annasoundedafaintnoteofirony。\"Really？Sophy’dgonethereforshelter，andshedroppedascreenandmovedachair？\"
\"Isaidtwochairs————\"
\"Two？Whatdamningevidence——ofIdon’tknowwhat！\"
\"SimplyofthefactthatDarrow’dbeentherewithher。AsI
lookedoutofthewindowIsawhimcloseby，walkingaway。
Hemusthaveturnedthecornerofthespring—housejustasI
gottothedoor。\"
Therewasanothersilence，duringwhichAnnapaused，notonlytocollectherownwordsbuttowaitforSophyViner’s；
then，asthegirlmadenosign，sheturnedtoher。
\"I’veabsolutelynothingtosaytoallthis；butperhapsyou’dlikemetowaitandhearyouranswer？\"
Sophyraisedherheadwithaquickflashofcolour。\"I’venoanswereither——exceptthatOwenmustbemad。\"
Intheintervalsinceshehadlastspokensheseemedtohaveregainedherself—control，andhervoicerangclear，withacoldedgeofanger。
Annalookedatherstep—son。Hehadgrownextremelypale，andhishandfellfromthedoorwithadiscouragedgesture。
\"That’sallthen？Youwon’tgivemeanyreason？\"
\"Ididn’tsupposeitwasnecessarytogiveyouoranyoneelseareasonfortalkingwithafriendofMrs。Leath’sunderMrs。Leath’sownroof。\"
Owenhardlyseemedtofeeltheretort：hekepthisdoggedstareonherface。
\"Iwon’taskforone，then。I’llonlyaskyoutogivemeyourassurancethatyourtalkswithDarrowhavehadnothingtodowithyoursuddenlydecidingtoleaveGivre。\"
Shehesitated，notsomuchwiththeairofweighingheranswerasofquestioninghisrighttoexactany。\"Igiveyoumyassurance；andnowIshouldliketogo，\"shesaid。
Assheturnedaway，Annaintervened。\"Mydear，Ithinkyououghttospeak。\"
Thegirldrewherselfupwithafaintlaugh。\"Tohim——ortoYOU？\"
\"Tohim。\"
Shestiffened。\"I’vesaidallthereistosay。\"
Annadrewback，hereyesonherstep—son。HehadleftthethresholdandwasadvancingtowardSophyVinerwithamotionofdesperateappeal；butashedidsotherewasaknockonthedoor。Amoment’ssilencefellonthethree；thenAnnasaid：\"Comein！\"
Darrowcameintotheroom。Seeingthethreetogether，helookedrapidlyfromonetotheother；thenheturnedtoAnnawithasmile。
\"Icameuptoseeifyouwereready；butpleasesendmeoffifI’mnotwanted。\"
Hislook，hisvoice，thesimplesenseofhispresence，restoredAnna’sshakenbalance。ByOwen’ssidehelookedsostrong，sourbane，soexperienced，thatthelad’spassionatechargesdwindledtomereboyishvapourings。AmomentagoshehaddreadedDarrow’scoming；nowshewasgladthathewasthere。
Sheturnedtohimwithsuddendecision。\"Comein，please；I
wantyoutohearwhatOwenhasbeensaying。\"
ShecaughtamurmurfromSophyViner，butdisregardedit。
Anilluminatingimpulseurgedheron。She，habituallysoawareofherownlackofpenetration，hersmallskillinreadinghiddenmotivesanddetectingsecretsignals，nowfeltherselfmysteriouslyinspired。SheaddressedherselftoSophyViner。\"It’smuchbetterforyouboththatthisabsurdquestionshouldbeclearedupnow\"Then，turningtoDarrow，shecontinued：\"ForsomereasonthatIdon’tpretendtoguess，Owenhastakenitintohisheadthatyou’veinfluencedMissVinertobreakherengagement。\"
Shespokeslowlyanddeliberately，becauseshewishedtogivetimeandtogainit；timeforDarrowandSophytoreceivethefullimpactofwhatshewassaying，andtimetoobserveitsfulleffectonthem。Shehadsaidtoherself：
\"Ifthere’snothingbetweenthem，they’lllookateachother；ifthereISsomething，theywon’t；\"andassheceasedtospeakshefeltasifallherlifewereinhereyes。
Sophy，afterastartofprotest，remainedmotionless，hergazeontheground。Darrow，hisfacegrowngrave，glancedslowlyfromOwenLeathtoAnna。Withhiseyesonthelatterheasked：\"HasMissVinerbrokenherengagement？\"
Amoment’ssilencefollowedhisquestion；thenthegirllookedupandsaid：\"Yes！\"
Owen，asshespoke，utteredasmotheredexclamationandwalkedoutoftheroom。Shecontinuedtostandinthesameplace，withoutappearingtonoticehisdeparture，andwithoutvouchsafinganadditionalwordofexplanation；then，beforeAnnacouldfindacrytodetainher，shetooturnedandwentout。
\"ForGod’ssake，what’shappened？\"Darrowasked；butAnna，withadropoftheheart，wassayingtoherselfthatheandSophyVinerhadnotlookedateachother。
XXV
Annastoodinthemiddleoftheroom，hereyesonthedoor。
Darrow’squestioninggazewasstillonher，andshesaidtoherselfwithaquick—drawnbreath：\"Ifonlyhedoesn’tcomenearme！\"
Itseemedtoherthatshehadbeensuddenlyendowedwiththefatalgiftofreadingthesecretsenseofeveryseeminglyspontaneouslookandmovement，andthatinhisleastgestureofaffectionshewoulddetectacolddesign。
Foramomentlongerhecontinuedtolookatherenquiringly；
thenheturnedawayandtookuphishabitualstandbythemantel—piece。Shedrewadeepbreathofrelief。
\"Won’tyoupleaseexplain？\"hesaid。
\"Ican’texplain：Idon’tknow。Ididn’tevenknow——tillshetoldyou——thatshereallymeanttobreakherengagement。
AllIknowisthatshecametomejustnowandsaidshewishedtoleaveGivretoday；andthatOwen，whenheheardofit——forshehadn’ttoldhim——atonceaccusedherofgoingawaywiththesecretintentionofthrowinghimover。\"
\"Andyouthinkit’sadefinitebreak？\"Sheperceived，asshespoke，thathisbrowhadcleared。
\"HowshouldIknow？Perhapsyoucantellme。\"
\"I？\"Shefanciedhisfacecloudedagain，buthedidnotmovefromhistranquilattitude。
\"AsItoldyou，\"shewenton，\"Owenhasworkedhimselfuptoimaginingthatforsomemysteriousreasonyou’veinfluencedSophyagainsthim。\"
Darrowstillvisiblywondered。\"Itmustindeedbeamysteriousreason！HeknowshowslightlyIknowMissViner。
Whyshouldheimagineanythingsowildlyimprobable？\"
\"Idon’tknowthateither。\"
\"Buthemusthavehintedatsomereason。\"
\"No：headmitshedoesn’tknowyourreason。HesimplysaysthatSophy’smannertohimhaschangedsinceshecamebacktoGivreandthathe’sseenyoutogetherseveraltimes——inthepark，thespring—house，Idon’tknowwhere——talkingaloneinawaythatseemedconfidential——almostsecret；andhedrawsthepreposterousconclusionthatyou’veusedyourinfluencetoturnheragainsthim。\"
\"Myinfluence？Whatkindofinfluence？\"
\"Hedoesn’tsay。\"
Darrowagainseemedtoturnoverthefactsshegavehim。
Hisfaceremainedgrave，butwithouttheleasttraceofdiscomposure。\"AndwhatdoesMissVinersay？\"
\"Shesaysit’sperfectlynaturalthatsheshouldoccasionallytalktomyfriendswhenshe’sundermyroof——
andrefusestogivehimanyotherexplanation。\"
\"Thatatleastisperfectlynatural！\"
Annafelthercheeksflushassheanswered：\"Yes——butthereissomething————\"
\"Something————？\"
\"Somereasonforhersuddendecisiontobreakherengagement。IcanunderstandOwen’sfeeling，sorryasIamforhiswayofshowingit。Thegirloweshimsomesortofexplanation，andaslongassherefusestogiveithisimaginationissuretorunwild。\"
\"Shewouldhavegivenit，nodoubt，ifhedaskeditinadifferenttone。\"
\"Idon’tdefendOwen’stone——butsheknewwhatitwasbeforesheacceptedhim。Sheknowshe’sexcitableandundisciplined。\"
\"Well，she’sbeendisciplininghimalittle——probablythebestthingthatcouldhappen。Whynotletthematterrestthere？\"
\"LeaveOwenwiththeideathatyouHAVEbeenthecauseofthebreak？\"
Hemetthequestionwithhiseasysmile。\"Oh，astothat——
leavehimwithanyideaofmehechooses！Butleavehim，atanyrate，free。\"
\"Free？\"sheechoedinsurprise。
\"Simplyletthingsbe。You’vesurelydoneallyoucouldforhimandMissViner。Iftheydon’thititoffit’stheirownaffair。Whatpossiblemotivecanyouhavefortryingtointerferenow？\"
Hergazewidenedtoadeeperwonder。\"Why——naturally，whathesaysofyou！\"
\"Idon’tcareastrawwhathesaysofme！Insuchasituationaboyinlovewillsnatchatthemostfar—fetchedreasonratherthanfacethemortifyingfactthattheladymaysimplybetiredofhim。\"
\"YoudontquiteunderstandOwen。Thingsgodeepwithhim，andlastlong。Ittookhimalongtimetorecoverfromhisotherunluckyloveaffair。He’sromanticandextravagant：