Page:Madame Butterfly; Purple eyes; A gentleman of Japan and a lady; Kito; Glory (1904).djvu/203

 And Owannon saw all this day by day from her chamber—saw his journeyings to and fro with the belongings. She wondered why he said so little about it. Once or twice she dared to guess at the truth. But no. It could not be! Could it be? At last it began to pique her, and she determined to know—as a woman will.

"Your house is very beautiful, brother," she said suddenly, thinking it would surprise him. But it did not.

"Yes," he said quite calmly, "yes, sister. I think she will like it. That is the way to build a house—to fit the person who is to live in it. She—"

"She?"

Her heart stopped beating for a moment.

"My wife," he said.

Something choked her. She rose suddenly and made an errand to the outside. When she returned it was with some refreshments. But her hands trembled as she served them.

"Shall we talk further about—my wife?" he asked politely.

"If you please—no," she begged.

"Some other time?"