respect her business honor or else he would not ask her to break--Horace's point was that Augusta did not really love him or she wouldn't think up all these excuses--she'd marry him as he asked her to do. Ah, but he hadn't had any idea of getting married until he heard that she was going to take this place! He had--he had--he had come there to tell her, only she had been so excited about this other man---- Nonsense, the trouble with Horace was that he was jealous. No, he was not at all jealous, but if he were he had good reason to be--writing to a man every day, and accepting jewels----
Pearl kept looking from one to the other, deeply interested. In the first pause--which did not come for a long time--she said gravely, "How is it, Gussie? Do you really want to marry Horace?"
She said it very nicely, but on her expressive face was written the thought that she herself could not see how anyone could want to marry him.
"I do, I do," answered Augusta rather tearfully; "but how can I when I've given my word?"
"I'll tell you how you can," said Pearl. "You marry him and disappear into the wilds of Canada, and I'll take your place with the Conway family."
They stared at each other like people waiting for the sound of an explosion. They were trying to think of obstacles.