Page:The Novels and Tales of Henry James, Volume 2 (New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1907).djvu/404

THE AMERICAN "There's nothing of course to prevent your saying so! But if she won't even see you—and she won't—your constancy must remain very much on your hands."

Newman feigned in truth a greater confidence than he felt. Madame de Cintré's strange intensity had really struck a chill to his heart; her face, still impressed on his vision, had been a terrible image of deep renunciation. He felt sick and suddenly helpless. He turned away and stood a moment with his hand on the door; then he faced about and, after the briefest hesitation, broke out with another accent. "Come, think of what this must be to me, and leave her to herself and to the man whom, before God I believe, she loves! Why should you object to me—what's the matter with me? I can't hurt you, I would n't if I could. I'm the most unobjectionable man in the world. What if I am a commercial person? What under the sun do you mean? A commercial person? I 'll be any sort of person you want. I never talked to you about business—where on earth does it come in? Let her go and I 'll ask no questions. I 'll take her away and you shall never see me or hear of me again. I 'll stay in America if you like. I 'll sign a paper promising never to come back to Europe. All I want is not to lose her!"

His companions exchanged a glance of mutual re-enforcement, and Urbain said: "My dear sir, what you propose is hardly an improvement. We've not the slightest objection to seeing you, as an amiable foreigner, and we 've every reason for not wishing to be eternally separated from my sister. We object 374