Melanctha was now always making him feel her way, strong whenever she was with him.  Did she go on to do it just to show him, did she do it so now because she was no longer loving, did she do it so because that was her way to make him be really loving.  Jeff never did know how it was that it all happened so to him.

Melanctha acted now the way she had said it always had been with them.  Now it was always Jeff who had to do the asking.  Now it was always Jeff who had to ask when would be the next time he should come to see her.  Now always she was good and patient to him, and now always she was kind and loving with him, and always Jeff felt it was, that she was good to give him anything he ever asked or wanted, but never now any more for her own sake to make her happy in him.  Now she did these things, as if it was just to please her Jeff Campbell who needed she should now have kindness for him.  Always now he was the beggar, with them.  Always now Melanctha gave it, not of her need, but from her bounty to him.  Always now Jeff found it getting harder for him.

Sometimes Jeff wanted to tear things away from before him, always now he wanted to fight things and be angry with them, and always now Melanctha was so patient to him.

Now, deep inside him, there was always a doubt with Jeff, of Melanctha’s loving.  It was not a doubt yet to make him really doubting, for with that, Jeff never could be really loving, but always now he knew that something, and that not in him, something was wrong with their loving.  Jeff Campbell could not know any right way to think out what was inside Melanctha with her loving, he could not use any way now to reach inside her to find if she was true in her loving, but now something had gone wrong between them, and now he never felt sure in him, the way once she had made him, that now at last he really had got to be understanding.

Melanctha was too many for him.  He was helpless to find out the way she really felt now for him.  Often Jeff would ask her, did she really love him.  Always she said, “Yes Jeff, sure, you know that,” and now instead of a full sweet strong love with it, Jeff only felt a patient, kind endurance in it.

Jeff did not know.  If he was right in such a feeling, he certainly never any more did want to have Melanctha Herbert with him.  Jeff Campbell hated badly to think Melanctha never would give him love, just for his sake, and not because she needed it herself, to be with him.  Such a way of loving would be very hard for Jeff to be enduring.

“Jeff what makes you act so funny to me.  Jeff you certainly now are jealous to me.  Sure Jeff, now I don’t see ever why you be so foolish to look so to me.”  “Don’t you ever think I can be jealous of anybody ever Melanctha, you hear me.  It’s just, you certainly don’t ever understand me.  It’s just this way with me always now Melanctha.  You love me, and I don’t care anything what you do or what you