"What makes you think so?" "Her heart is broken, she's been suffering terribly." "I don't think she would have sent for me if she had been going to kill herself," Preston Eustace said, a little as if he would have added, "We are not on those terms." "I don't suppose she would," Betty said. "But oh, Preston, I'm so worried about her. I don't know where she is or anything. I tell you her heart is broken." "I didn't know you believed in hearts--broken or otherwise, Betty." "I believe in Nancy's heart." "You never believed in mine." "You never gave me much reason to, Preston. You--you let me give you back your ring the first time I threatened to." "Of course I did." "You never came near me again." "Of course I didn't." "You let three years go by without a word." "Of course--" "If you say 'of course I did' again I'll fly straight up through this roof. If you'd ever loved me you wouldn't have gone away and left me." "If I hadn't loved you I wouldn't have gone away." "Oh, dear," Betty sighed. "I don't see how you can stand there and think about yourself with Nancy out in the night--we don't know where." "Ourselves, Betty--did you ever really love me?" "It doesn't make any difference whether I did or not," Betty said. "I hate men." "I think I'd better be going," Preston Eustace said, his face dark with pain. He was rather a literal-minded young man, as Caroline's brother would have been likely to be. Betty buried her face in her hands. "My head aches," she said, "and I was never in my life so mad and so miserable. I can't understand why everything and everybody should behave so--devilishly. You and every one else, I mean. I just simply can't bear to have Nancy suffer so. My head aches and my heart aches and my soul aches." She lifted her head defiantly. "I think I had better be going," Preston Eustace repeated, looking down at her sorrowfully. "Oh! don't be going," Betty said. "What in the name of sense do you want to be going for?" Then without warning or premeditation she hurled herself at his breast. "Oh! Preston, if there is anything comforting in this world," she said, "tell it to me, now." Preston Eustace gathered her to his breast with infinite tenderness. "I love you," he said with his lips on her brow. "Doesn't that comfort you a little?" "Yes," she admitted, "yes," winding her arms about his neck, "but you have no idea what a little devil I am, Preston." "I don't want to have any idea," he said, still holding her hungrily. "No, I don't think you do," Betty said. "Oh! kiss me again, dear, and tell me you won't ever let me go now."