Melanctha was there in the world around him, he did certainly always know that in him.  Melanctha Herbert was always in the same town with him, and he could never any more feel her near him.  What a fool he was to throw her from him.  Did he know she did not really love him.  Suppose Melanctha was now suffering through him.  Suppose she really would be glad to see him.  And did anything else he did, really mean anything now to him?  What a fool he was to cast her from him.  And yet did Melanctha Herbert want him, was she honest to him, had Melanctha ever loved him, and did Melanctha now suffer by him?  Oh!  Oh!  Oh! and the bitter water once more rose up in him.

All that long day, with the warm moist young spring stirring in him, Jeff Campbell worked, and thought, and beat his breast, and wandered, and spoke aloud, and was silent, and was certain, and then in doubt and then keen to surely feel, and then all sodden in him; and he walked, and he sometimes ran fast to lose himself in his rushing, and he bit his nails to pain and bleeding, and he tore his hair so that he could be sure he was really feeling, and he never could know what it was right, he now should be doing.  And then late that night he wrote it all out to Melanctha Herbert, and he made himself quickly send it without giving himself any time to change it.

“It has come to me strong to-day Melanctha, perhaps I am wrong the way I now am thinking.  Perhaps you do want me badly to be with you.  Perhaps I have hurt you once again the way I used to.  I certainly Melanctha, if I ever think that really, I certainly do want bad not to be wrong now ever any more to you.  If you do feel the way to-day it came to me strong maybe you are feeling, then say so Melanctha to me, and I come again to see you.  If not, don’t say anything any more ever to me.  I don’t want ever to be bad to you Melanctha, really.  I never want ever to be a bother to you.  I never can stand it to think I am wrong; really, thinking you don’t want me to come to you.  Tell me Melanctha, tell me honest to me, shall I come now any more to see you.”  “Yes” came the answer from Melanctha, “I be home Jeff to-night to see you.”

Jeff Campbell went that evening late to see Melanctha Herbert.  As Jeff came nearer to her, he doubted that he wanted really to be with her, he felt that he did not know what it was he now wanted from her.  Jeff Campbell knew very well now, way inside him, that they could never talk their trouble out between them.  What was it Jeff wanted now to tell Melanctha Herbert?  What was it that Jeff Campbell now could tell her?  Surely he never now could learn to trust her.  Surely Jeff knew very well all that Melanctha always had inside her.  And yet it was awful, never any more to see her.