I TALK WITH JEAN
should even suggest such a possibility. "Miss Denslow, you do not mean that; surely my sincerity can be felt. Perhaps I ought not to have spoken thus; it may be you have no right to listen. But I insist I have said no more than the truth. I realize now that from the moment of first seeing you while conversing with the old negro in the shed on your father's plantation, I was unusually interested in you. That first impression might, indeed, have passed away, had we not again been thrown together upon terms of peculiar intimacy. A certain tie was contracted between us which caused me to think of you even while we were absent from each other. I could not remain indifferent under such circumstances—could you?"
She hesitated, drawing slightly back, yet her honesty compelled a frank avowal.
"No, I—I could not be entirely indifferent."
"Human nature would prevent," I went on, encouraged by even this slight admission. "But our relationship was not destined to end even there. Some strange fate seemed to draw us together. My duty led me here, to meet you again under peculiar circumstances, and in the midst of peril compelling you to trust me. I believe now, Miss Denslow, that the seeds of love were in my heart from the moment of our first meeting, but the intimacy of the past few hours has brought the blossom. Legally I am your husband, and I cannot forbear telling you that my heart is yours also, although I feel I have no right to say this, or to force myself between you and another."
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