Page:The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (emended first edition), Volume 1.djvu/225

Rh more than you will like to hear, or, perhaps, can readily excuse,—and more than I can tell you now; so let me entreat you to leave me!"

"I will; but answer me this one question first;—do you love me?"

"I will not answer it!"

"Then I will conclude you do; and so good night."

She turned from me to hide the emotion she could not quite controul; but I took her hand and fervently kissed it.

"Gilbert, do leave me!" she cried, in a tone of such thrilling anguish that I felt it would be cruel to disobey.

But I gave one look back before I closed the door, and saw her leaning forward on the table, with her hands pressed against her eyes, sobbing convulsively; yet I withdrew in silence. I felt that to obtrude my consolations on her then would only serve to aggravate her sufferings.

To tell you all the questionings and