Page:Angna Enters - Among the Daughters.djvu/435

 could tell her. Vida wouldn't have an answer for that, she only asked questions. Nino could teach so much. But this was not the moment for lessons of the world. She felt she ought to come to Lorna's defense. "But," she added, "those men like them that way. They are what those men want them to be."

"So I gathered," Nino said. "Thank you for explaining about your being there, though I hope you will not be offended if I say the explanation was unnecessary. A man believes of a woman what he cannot help believing. The feeling of love is its own truth. And that is why it was of such urgency for me to spend my last evening in New York with you. It is many years since I lost my wife and I had never thought to marry again until you came into my life. While, as you can see, I am considerably older than you, almost fifty, my love gives me the courage to ask if you will do me the honor of becoming my wife? Though I have not great wealth, I believe we could have a good life in the world you speak often of wishing to know."

A tear plopped from the tip of her nose. "I want to say something but I don't know how," she faltered in a turmoil of affection and indecision.

"Then it is best to say nothing. At least you have not said no and we Spaniards say 'poco es bastante,' which means a little is enough. So it will be for me at present."

He rose and taking her hand gave it a short reassuring shake and pulled her to her feet. The bulk of his broad shoulders in Oxford grey made her think of the life insurance advertisement of the Rock of Gibraltar, sign of strength, security and constancy. That was Nino.

When she arrived home there were flowers and a parcel waiting. The flowers symbolized everything of spring, and the parcel was Clem's painting of the hepaticas, with Nino's card.

Vaya con Dios, your Nino.

She threw herself on the carpet and sobbed.

"Stop it, stop it! You're worse than I am," she heard Vida shrieking.

She took two sleeping pills and when she awoke from a blue mist there was barely time to see Nino off.

In the nightmare of sailing confusion she could not find him and then after the gangplank was removed she saw his sad anxious face watch friends scream goodbye and she waved furiously until she caught his eye. Rh