" He looked
away again, and his face was set like bronze. "I love you better than
anything on God's earth," he said, "and I want to tell you all the
truth, so that you won't feel you can't trust me, or when, if ever I
should chance to meet your husband, I can't look him straight in the
face. I love you, but I never mean to bother you or do anything in the
world but be your best friend." "Indeed, indeed, yes," I said, and I
told him how dreadfully sorry I was if I had hurt him, and how noble and
brave he seemed to me.
"You are my star," he said, "and I am going to crush this pain out of my
heart, and make it just a glad thing that I've known you, and something
to remember always; so don't you feel sorry, my lady, dear. It was not
your fault. It was nobody's fault--just fate. And we out in this desert
country learn to size up a situation and face it out. But I don't want
you to go away from this happy party of ours with an ache in your tender
heart, thinking I am a weakling and going to cry by myself in a corner;
I am not. Nothing's going to be changed, and you can count till death on
Nelson Renour."
I don't know what I said, Mamma, I was so profoundly touched. What a
noble gentleman; how miles and miles above the puny Europeans, setting
snares for every married woman's heart, if she is anything which
attracts them.
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