Page:The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (emended first edition), Volume 1.djvu/317

Rh "I am very much obliged to you," said I. "This is twice you have delivered me from such unpleasant companionship."

"Don't be too thankful," he answered: "it is not all kindness to you; it is partly from a feeling of spite to your tormentors that makes me delighted to do the old fellows a bad turn, though I don't think I have any great reason to dread them as rivals—Have I Helen?"

"You know I detest them both."

"And me?"

"I have no reason to detest you."

"But what are your sentiments towards me?—Helen—Speak!—How do you regard me?"

And again he pressed my hand; but I feared there was more of conscious power than tenderness in his demeanour, and I felt he had no right to extort a confession of attachment from me when he had made no correspondent avowal himself, and knew not what to answer. At last I said—

"How do you regard me?"