“I _couldn't_ believe it was she! I should have despised you if it was. But I shall hate her, whoever it was.” Halleck sat down before his table, and his sister sank upon the corner of a chair near it, and looked wistfully at him. “I know there is some one!” “If you think I've been fool enough to offer myself to any one, Olive, you're very much mistaken.” “Oh, it needn't have come to that,” said Olive, with indignant pity. “My life's a failure here,” cried Halleck, moving his head uneasily from side to side. “I feel somehow as if I could go out there and pick up the time I've lost. Great Heaven!” he cried, “if I were only running away from some innocent young girl's rejection, what a happy man I should be!” “It's some horrid married thing, then, that's been flirting with you!” He gave a forlorn laugh. “I'd almost confess it to please you, Olive. But I'd prefer to get out of the matter without lying, if I could. Why need you suppose any reason but the sufficient one I've given?--Don't afflict me! don't imagine things about me, don't make a mystery of me! I've been blunt and awkward, and I've bungled the business with father and mother; but I want to get away because I'm a miserable fraud here, and I think I might rub on a good while there before I found myself out again.” “Ben,” demanded Olive, regardless of his words, “what have you been doing?” “The old story,--nothing.” “Is that true, Ben?” “You used to be satisfied with asking once, Olive.” “You _haven't_ been so wicked, so careless, as to get some poor creature in love with, you, and then want to run away from the misery you've made?” “I suppose if I look it there's no use denying it,” said Halleck, letting his sad eyes meet hers, and smiling drearily. “You insist upon having a lady in the case?” “Yes. But I see you won't tell me anything; and I _won't_ afflict you. Only I'm afraid it's just some silly thing, that you've got to brooding over, and that you'll let drive you away.” “Well, you have the comfort of reflecting that I can't get away, whatever the pressure is.” “You know better than that, Ben; and so do I. You know that, if you haven't got father and mother's consent already, it's only because you haven't had the heart to ask for it. As far as that's concerned, you're gone already. But I hope you won't go without thinking it over, as father says,--and talking it over. I hate to have you seem unsteady and fickle-minded, when I know you're not; and I'm going to set myself against this project till I know what's driving you from us,--or till I'm sure that it's something worth while. You needn't expect that I shall help to make it easy for you; I shall help to make it hard.”