I will never see her again, except just to finally say
good-bye. I promise you."
"Oh, I could not do a mean thing like that, Mr. Montgomerie," I said. "You
must not think of behaving so on my account. I am not altogether
heartbroken, you know; in fact, I rather think of getting married,
myself."
He bounded up.
"Oh, you have deceived me, then!" he said, in self-righteous wrath. "After
all I said to you that evening at Tryland, and what you promised then!
Yes, you have grossly deceived me."
I could not say I had not listened to a word he had said that night and
was utterly unconscious of what I had promised. Even his self-appreciation
did not deserve such a blow as that, so I softened my voice and natural
anger at his words, and said, quite gently:
"Do not be angry. If I have unconsciously given you a wrong impression I
am sorry, but if one came to talking of deceiving, you have deceived me
about Miss Grey, so do not let us speak further upon the matter. We are
quits. Now, won't you be friends as you have always been?" and I put out
my hand and smiled frankly in his face. The mean little lines in it
relaxed, he pulled himself together, and took my hand and pressed it
warmly. From which I knew there was more in the affair of Angela Grey than
met the eye.
"Evangeline," he said. "I shall always love you; but Miss Grey is an
estimable young woman--there is not a word to be said against her moral
character--and I have promised her my hand in marriage, so perhaps we had
better say good-bye.
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