"He asked me to try to persuade you not to marry him." "Well--persuade!" "To explain how coarse he is." "How coarse is he ?" "To dilate on the folly of your marrying a poor man with no money prospects." "I'm content with his prospects--and with mine through him." "Seven or eight thousand a year?
Your dresses cost much more than that." "No matter." "You must be in love with him!" "Women take strange fancies." "What's the matter, Rita?
What have you in the back of your mind ?" She looked straight at him.

"Nothing about YOU.

Not the faintest, little shadow of a regret." And her hazel eyes smiled mirth of the kind that is cruelest from woman to man.
"How exasperating you are!" "Perhaps I've caught the habit from my man." "Rita, you don't even like me any more." "No--candidly--I don't." "I deserve it." "You do.

I can never trust you again." He shrugged his shoulders; but he could not pretend that he was indifferent.

"It seems to me, if Josh forgave me you might." "I do--forgive." "But not even friendship ?" "Not EVEN friendship." "You are hard." "I am hard." "Rita! For God's sake, don't marry that man! You don't love him--you know you don't.