Читать книгу On the Brink of a Chasm: A record of plot and passion онлайн

10 страница из 79

He paused at last, looking, with his eyes burning with suppressed passion, into the girl’s face. She did not shrink from his gaze, but she changed her position. Some of the soft golden light fell across her dress and on her white arms, and gave a queer glow to the big fan. Barbara unfurled it slowly, and held it so as partly to hide her face.

“I am sorry for you,” she said; “you must try and get over this. But you have had my answer; I cannot say anything different.”

“Do not refuse me now. Think, consider, take time. I cannot, I cannot give you up to another.”

There was such a genuine tone of agony in the man’s voice that, in spite of herself, the girl was slightly softened; her tone became gentle.

“It pains me to give you pain,” she said, “but you must consider my answer quite final. It would be false kindness to give you the least hope. I do not love you, I could never under any circumstances love you; you do not in any single particular suit me. As your wife I should be miserable—I should be worse, I should even be bad. I could never be the wife of one I do not sincerely love. If you were the last man left in the world I could not marry you, Dr. Tarbot. Is not that decisive enough?”