it, Jeff, so as you could do anything you wanted with me.”  “Good Lord and Jesus Christ, Melanctha!” cried Jeff Campbell.  “I certainly never can know anything about you real, Melanctha, you poor little girl,” and Jeff drew her closer to him, “But I certainly do admire and trust you a whole lot now, Melanctha.  I certainly do, for I certainly never did think I was hurting you at all, Melanctha, by the things I always been saying to you.  Melanctha, you poor little, sweet, trembling baby now, be good, Melanctha.  I certainly can’t ever tell you how awful sorry I am to hurt you so, Melanctha.  I do anything I can to show you how I never did mean to hurt you, Melanctha.”  “I know, I know,” murmured Melanctha, clinging to him.  “I know you are a good man, Jeff.  I always know that, no matter how much you can hurt me.”  “I sure don’t see how you can think so, Melanctha, if you certainly did think I was trying so hard just to hurt you.”  “Hush, you are only a great big boy, Jeff Campbell, and you don’t know nothing yet about real hurting,” said Melanctha, smiling up through her crying, at him.  “You see, Jeff, I never knew anybody I could know real well and yet keep on always respecting, till I came to know you real well, Jeff.”  “I sure don’t understand that very well, Melanctha.  I ain’t a bit better than just lots of others of the colored people.  You certainly have been unlucky with the kind you met before me, that’s all, Melanctha.  I certainly ain’t very good, Melanctha.”  “Hush, Jeff, you don’t know nothing at all about what you are,” said Melanctha.  “Perhaps you are right, Melanctha.  I don’t say ever any more, you ain’t right, when you say things to me, Melanctha,” and Jefferson sighed, and then he smiled, and then they were quiet a long time together, and then after some more kindness, it was late, and then Jeff left her.

Jeff Campbell, all these months, had never told his good mother anything about Melanctha Herbert.  Somehow he always kept his seeing her so much now, to himself.  Melanctha too had never had any of her other friends meet him.  They always acted together, these two, as if their being so much together was a secret, but really there was no one who would have made it any harder for them.  Jeff Campbell did not really know how it had happened that they were so secret.  He did not know if it was what Melanctha wanted.  Jeff had never spoken to her at all about it.  It just seemed as if it were well understood between them that nobody should know that they were so much together.  It was as if it were agreed between them, that they should be alone by themselves always, and so they would work out together what they meant by what they were always saying to each other.

Jefferson often spoke to Melanctha about his good mother.  He never said anything about whether Melanctha would want to meet her.  Jefferson never quite understood why all this had happened so, in secret.  He never really knew what it was that Melanctha really wanted.  In all these ways he just, by his nature, did, what he sort of felt Melanctha wanted.  And so they continued to be alone and much together, and now it had come to be the spring time, and now they had all out-doors to wander.