SHIANA
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away their senses? Why, surely the world knows he could say that without having any promise upon him. They were a nice pair, and I wouldn't mind if it weren't the priest himself!
Kate.—Oh, but look, Sheila dear, they knew nothing about Shiana's secret, and had no idea of anything of the kind. If they had had, perhaps they would have understood the whole affair as well as we do. But how could anybody have thought of it? He never told it to a living soul. He never let a word slip from his lips about it to anybody that ever lived, from the first day to that day on which they were speaking. Did you notice how carefully and how well he kept it from every single person that spoke to him? I have been watching the story, thinking from time to time that some word would slip from him that would let it out; but he did not let the smallest tittle of it escape him. There was nothing preventing him from marrying Short Mary, but the secret that he possessed in his own mind. Neither the priest nor John Kittach had any knowledge whatever of that secret. Sive had published it all through the country that he had promised to marry her. Nobody was contradicting that statement. How could anybody tell but that there might perhaps be some fragment of truth in it? I don't think John Kittach and the priest could very well come to any other conclusion than that the promise must have been made.
Sheila.—But surely it was very unfair, Kate.
