It isn't out of order or any thing." She was out of breath now, and had to pause.

She would gladly have kept on indefinitely, for the sake of avoiding another of those dreadful silences.
Bressant was not in the habit of paying much attention to coincidences, but it happened to occur to him that the stoppage of the watch must have taken place pretty nearly, if not exactly, at the time of his engagement to Sophie, and the thought rendered his discomposure still more painful.
"Won't you keep the watch ?" said he at length.
"Keep it ?" repeated Cornelia, timidly, uncertain what might be coming nest.

Her breath went and came unevenly.

"How can I keep it ?" faltered she.

"They know--papa and Sophie know--that I haven't any such watch.
I--I have no right to keep it." She could hardly have spoken more plainly; indeed, she had been surprised into speaking much more plainly than she intended.