"I don't understand--" he stood irresolute, yet moved, I could see, by my
beauty. "Do you mean--" and he slowly approached, peering from under his
contracted brows as if trying to read my eyes.
"I mean that I have treated you very badly; and that I am sorry," I
whispered, hiding my head with a little sigh upon his shoulder; and after
a time he put his arms about me gently as if half afraid, and was silent.
I felt how good he was, how strong and patient, and was at peace. I knew I
could trust him.
So we stood for a little while at the dividing line between the future and
the past. I do not know what were his thoughts, but I had not been so much
at rest for a long, long time-not since I came from home to New York.
Then with a sigh of quiet content, he said in a low and gentle voice:--
"It's a strange thing to hurry away now, Nelly; but you know I have so
much to do before I can rest tonight. I must speak of this: Now--now that
we are to belong to each other always--I must know exactly about all your
affairs, so that I can arrange them. There are other debts?"
The word grated upon my nerves, I had been so glad to forget.
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