After freeing herself from his embrace, still silent, she walked hurriedly away; then Eden, snatching up his coat from the grass, ran after her and was quickly at her side. “Dearest Fan, are you angry with me that you refuse to speak?” he said, seizing her hand. “I have nothing to say, Mr. Eden. Will you release my hand, as I wish to go home?” “I must go back to town with you, Fan,” he returned. “I will release your hand if you will sit down on this bench and let me speak to you. We must not part in this way.” After a few moments' hesitation she sat down, still keeping her face averted from him. Then he dropped her hand and sat down near her. His hopes were fast vanishing, and he was not only deeply disappointed but angry; and with these feelings there mingled some remorse, he now began to think that he had surprised and pained her. Never had she seemed more sweet and desirable than now, when he had tempted her and she had turned silently away. “For heaven's sake don't be so angry with me, Fan,” he said at length. “It is not just. I could not help loving you; and if you have old-fashioned ideas about such things, and can't agree to my proposals, why can't we agree to differ, and not make matters worse by quarrelling? My only wish, goodness knows, was to make you happy; there is no sacrifice I would not gladly make for your sake, for I do love you, Fan, with all my heart.” She listened quietly, but every sentence he uttered only had the effect of widening the distance between them. Her only answer was, “I wish to go home now--will you let me go by myself?” But he caught her hand again when she attempted to rise, and forced her to remain on the seat. “No, Fan, you must not go before you have answered me,” he returned, his face darkening with anger. “You have no right to treat me in this way. What have I said to stir up such a tempest?” “There is no tempest, Mr. Eden. What can I say to you except that we have both been mistaken? I was wrong to meet you, but I did not know--it did not seem wrong. That was my mistake.” Her voice was low and trembled a little, and there was still no note of anger in it. It touched his heart, and yet he could not help being angry with her for destroying his hopes, and it was with some bitterness that he replied: “You have told me your mistake; now what was mine?” “That you know already.” “Yes, I know it; but I do not know what you imagine. I may be able to show you yet that you are too harsh with me.” After an interval of silence she answered: “Mr. Eden, I believe you have heard the story of my origin from Mr. Chance. I suppose that he knows what I came from. No doubt he thought it right to separate his wife from me for the same reason that made you think that you could buy me with money, just as you could buy anything else you might wish to have. You would not have made such a proposal to one in your own class, though she might be an orphan and friendless and obliged to work for her living.”