"You can be too near a thing to see it," she said. "I don't say we don't understand each other beautiful, John; but look at it without feeling--just as an interesting question, same as I do. Just ask yourself if we're all you say, how it comes about that, despite such a lot of reasons, I hang back from naming the date. You say you want to know why. Well, so do I. What makes me refuse to name it--an easy-going creature like me, always ready and willing to pleasure anybody if I can? It's interesting, and it's no good merely being cross about it. I don't want to fix the date. I don't feel no call to do it." "Then you ought." "That's what I'm saying." "And since you're well used to doing what you ought, it's about time you let your duty master you." "Granted. I allow all that. What I want to know is why I'm not so keen to name the day and get to the day as you are?" "Along of this silly fooling about losing your liberty I suppose. As if a married woman wasn't a lot freer than a single one." "Oh no, she isn't. The single ones was never so free as now. They can do scores of things no married woman would be suffered to do for a moment. That's because mothers and fathers care a lot less about what happens to their daughters than husbands care what happens to their wives. A daughter's good name be outside a parent's; but a wife's good name is her husband's. So the unmarried ones are a lot freer. There's few real parents nowadays be what your father is to me." "If you think such a lot of him and feel you owe him such a lot, why don't you do what he wants you to do and fix the day?" She did not answer, knowing well that old Mr. Bamsey, at the bottom of his heart, little liked to dwell on her departure. Indeed, she realised with growing intensity the reasons that had made her agree to marry John; and she knew more: she was aware that John's father himself had become a little doubtful. But the deed was done and Dinah appreciated the justice of her sweetheart's demands. They talked and he pressed and she parried. Then he grew angry. "Blessed if you know what love is despite all your fine talk. A little more of it, and I shall begin to think you're off the bargain and haven't the pluck to say so." For answer she put her arms round his neck and kissed him. "It's all very well; but you leave me guessing too often: and I'm not the sort that care to be left guessing. From a man I always get a plain answer, and I never leave him till I have. I hang on like a dog, and turn or twist as they may, they know they've got to come to it. But you--it's rather late in the day to begin all over again and ask you if you really love me, or not. It's putting a pretty big slight upon me; and perhaps, if I wasn't a fool, I should see the answer in that, without asking for it. For you wouldn't slight me--not if you cared for me one quarter what I care for you."