A few whispered words were all that he could speak; Emily kept silence.

Then he sat near to her; her hand was still in his, but gave no sign of responsive affection, and was very cold.
'It was kind to let me see you so soon,' he said.

Her fixed look of hard suffering began to impress him painfully, even with a kind of fear.
Emily's face at this moment was that of one who is only half sensible to words spoken.

Now she herself spoke for the first time.
'You will forgive me that I did not write.

It would have been better, perhaps; it would have been easier to me.