Of course he was exaggerating Grizel’s feelings.  She had too much self-respect and too little sentiment to be willing to marry any man because she had unintentionally wronged him.  But this was how Tommy would have acted had he happened to be a lady.  Remorse, pity, no one was so good at them as Tommy.

In his perturbation he was also good at maidenly reserve.  He felt strongly that the proper course for Grizel was not to refer to the glove—­to treat that incident as closed, unless he chose to reopen it.  This was so obviously the correct procedure that he seemed to see her adopting it like a sensible girl, and relief would have come to him had he not remembered that Grizel usually took her own way, and that it was seldom his way.

There were other ways of escape.  For instance, if she would only let him love her hopelessly.  Oh, Grizel had but to tell him there was no hope, and then how finely he would behave!  It would bring out all that was best in him.  He saw himself passing through life as her very perfect knight.  “Is there no hope for me?” He heard himself begging for hope, and he heard also her firm answer:  “None!” How he had always admired the outspokenness of Grizel.  Her “None!” was as splendidly decisive as of yore.

The conversation thus begun ran on in him, Tommy doing the speaking for both (though his lips never moved), and feeling the scene as vividly as if Grizel had really been present and Elspeth was not.  Elspeth was sitting opposite him.

“At least let me wait, Grizel,” he implored.  “I don’t care for how long; fix a time yourself, and I shall keep to it, and I promise never to speak one word of love to you until that time comes, and then if you bid me go I shall go.  Give me something to live for.  It binds you to nothing, and oh, it would make such a difference to me.”

Then Grizel seemed to reply gently, but with the firmness he adored:  “I know I cannot change, and it would be mistaken kindness to do as you suggest.  No, I can give you no hope; but though I can never marry you, I will watch your future with warm regard, for you have to-day paid me the highest compliment a man can pay a woman.”

(How charmingly it was all working out!)

Tommy bowed with dignity and touched her hand with his lips.  What is it they do next in Pym and even more expensive authors?  Oh, yes!  “If at any time in your life, dear Grizel,” he said, “you are in need of a friend, I hope you will turn first to me.  It does not matter where your message reaches me, I will come to you without delay.”

In his enthusiasm he saw the letter being delivered to him in Central Africa, and immediately he wheeled round on his way to Thrums.

“There is one other little request I should like to make of you,” he said huskily.  “Perhaps I ask too much, but it is this:  may I keep your glove?”

She nodded her head; she was so touched that she could scarcely trust herself to speak.  “But you will soon get over this,” she said at last; “another glove will take the place of mine; the time will come when you will be glad that I said I could not marry you.”