amalgamation of the law that came by Moses and the grace and truth that
came by Jesus Christ.”
He spoke with all the fervor of the preacher, with pale face, brilliant
eyes, and clenched hands; but in a voice adapted to a drawing room.
Phyllis of Philistia could not but admit that, in the phrase of
Philistia he had spoken in perfect taste. He had not alluded definitely
to the boldness of Ruth or to the calorific course accepted by the aged
David. He had spoken in those general terms which are adopted by the
clergymen who never err against good taste as defined by the matrons of
Philistia.
She did not know whether she admired him or detested him. But she was
certain that she did not love him. He might be right in all that he had
said, but she had freed herself from him. He might be destined to become
one of the most prominent men of the last ten years of the century, but
she would never marry him.
She stood face to face with him when he had spoken.
There was a long silence.
A gleam, a very faint gleam of triumph came to his eyes.
“Good-bye,” said she, flashing out her hand to him, and with her eyes
still fixed upon his face.
CHAPTER V.
IN LOVE THERE ARE NO GOOD-BYES.
He was so startled that he took a step backward. She remained with her
hand outstretched.
Was that only the result of the eloquent expression of his views--that
outstretched hand which was offered to him for an instant only as a
symbol of its withdrawal from him forever?
“You cannot mean----”
“Good-by,” said she.
“Have I not explained all that seemed to you to stand in need of
explanation?” he asked.
“The book--the book remains. I asked for no explanation,” said she.
“But you are too good, too reasonable, to dismiss me in this fashion,
Phyllis. Why, even the bishop--_would sit upon a fence to see how the
book would be received by the public before taking action against the
author_,” was what was in his mind, but he stopped short, and then added
a phrase that had no reference to the bishop. “Can you ever have loved
me?” was the phrase which he thought should appeal to her more forcibly
than any reference to the bishop’s sense of what was opportune.
She took back her hand, and her eyes fell at the same moment that her
face flushed.
He felt that he had not been astray in his estimate of the controversial
value--in the eyes of a girl, of course--of the appeal which he made
to her. A girl understands nothing of the soundness of an argument on
a Biblical question (or any other), he thought; but she understands an
appeal made to her by a man whom she had loved, and whom she therefore
loves still, though something may have occurred to make her think
otherwise.
“Can you ever have loved me?” he said again, and his voice was now more
reproachful.
There was a pause before she said:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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