To have injured a man
is to a woman apt to be an excuse for continuing to treat him ill; but
when the opposite occurs she can be very forbearing.
"There is no other man," she said with dignity. Then she added, more
mildly: "Badly as I may have treated you, I don't think you've quite
the right to say such a thing as that to me."
"I haven't," he acknowledged contritely. "I beg your pardon; but I
surely have a right to ask what I've done to change you so. You were
not like this yesterday."
Berenice forced herself to meet his eyes, but she ignored his question.
She sank back into the chair from which she had risen to face him.
"Come," said she, trying to speak lightly, "I don't see why we need
stand. We are not rehearsing private theatricals. It was very kind of
you to take the trouble to come all the way up here, but you must see
that my nerves are all on edge. The shock has completely upset me."
"Poor girl!" he said.
There was a genuine ring in his voice which irritated while it touched
her. She hated to feel that he was really hurt. It made her seem the
more deeply guilty, and she unconsciously desired to discover in him
some excuse for her own shortcomings.
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