She was writhing under his words.

She had always an unspeakable dread of being unjust to him.

Love made her infinitely tender, and pity made her yearn over him.

But neither her own love and pity nor his passionate words could wholly blind her now; and there was a sadness in the tones in which she replied,-- "No, Stephen, I did not mean to call you selfish; but I can't understand why you are not as brave and patient about all hard things as you are about the one hardest thing of all." "Mercy, would you marry me now, if I asked you ?" said Stephen.

He did not realize the equivocal form of his question.