All this was always getting harder for Jeff Campbell.  He was very proud to hold himself to be strong, was Jeff Campbell.  He was very tender not to hurt Melanctha, when he knew she would be sure to feel it badly in her head a long time after, he hated that he could not now be honest with her, he wanted to stay away to work it out all alone, without her, he was afraid she would feel it to suffer, if he kept away now from her.  He was uneasy always, with her, he was uneasy when he thought about her, he knew now he had a good, straight, strong feeling of right loving for her, and yet now he never could use it to be good and honest with her.

Jeff Campbell did not know, these days, anything he could do to make it better for her.  He did not know anything he could do, to set himself really right in his acting and his thinking toward her.  She pulled him so fast with her, and he did not dare to hurt her, and he could not come right, so fast, the way she always needed he should be doing it now, for her.

These days were not very joyful ones now any more, to Jeff Campbell, with Melanctha.  He did not think it out to himself now, in words, about her.  He did not know enough, what was his real trouble, with her.

Sometimes now and again with them, and with all this trouble for a little while well forgotten by him, Jeff, and Melanctha with him, would be very happy in a strong, sweet loving.  Sometimes then, Jeff would find himself to be soaring very high in his true loving.  Sometimes Jeff would find them, in his loving, his soul swelling out full inside him.  Always Jeff felt now in himself, deep feeling.

Always now Jeff had to go so much faster than was real with his feeling.  Yet always Jeff knew how he had a right, strong feeling.  Always now when Jeff was wondering, it was Melanctha he was doubting, in the loving.  Now he would often ask her, was she real now to him, in her loving.  He would ask her often, feeling something queer about it all inside him, though yet he was never really strong in his doubting, and always Melanctha would answer to him, “Yes Jeff, sure, you know it, always,” and always Jeff felt a doubt now, in her loving.

Always now Jeff felt in himself, deep loving.  Always now he did not know really, if Melanctha was true in her loving.

All these days Jeff was uncertain in him, and he was uneasy about which way he should act so as not to be wrong and put them both into bad trouble.  Always now he was, as if he must feel deep into Melanctha to see if it was real loving he would find she now had in her, and always he would stop himself, with her, for always he was afraid now that he might badly hurt her.

Always now he liked it better when he was detained when he had to go and see her.  Always now he never liked to go to be with her, although he never wanted really, not to be always with her.  Always now he never felt really at ease with her, even when they were good friends together.  Always now he felt, with her, he could not be really honest to her.  And Jeff never could be happy with her when he could not feel strong to tell all his feeling to her.  Always now every day he found it harder to make the time pass, with her, and not let his feeling come so that he would quarrel with her.