Page:Rowland--The closing net.djvu/75

Rh you were to slip now. And with such a woman it would be almost inevitable. Listen to me, Frank. I thought of all of this when I told John to bring you here. I weighed the pros and cons for all of us. If I had found you a different sort of person I might have lost my courage; but I feel instinctively your resolution and your strength. Since you are what you are I have no fear of the result to any of us. John and I are not dependent on the dictates of Society. If such friends as we have cannot accept our decision we do not want to keep them."

"It's asking too much" I muttered.

Edith laid her hand upon my wrist.

"We are asking nothing of anybody, Frank. We have merely made our choice, that is all."

What was I to say? She was stronger than I—ten thousand million times. I mumbled back the same old argument, and she listened with her twisted smile, saying a warm word here and there, for which I found no answer. It was like a chunk of ice trying to argue the point with the sun. Finally I gave it up and raised her hand to my lips.

"I'll talk a bit to John," I muttered, and shambled out.

John was on the terrace at breakfast. His eyes were puffy, as he looked up to wish me good-morning, and I noticed that his hand was shaky as he poured his coffee.

I told him of my talk with Edith. He listened, looking rather bored.

"Oh, well," said he, "I understand, of course, how you feel about it all. Why can't we make some sort of a compromise? You needn't stop here at