I guess I was as surprised as she was.  I’d never suspected she knew.

She looked at him over her shoulder.

“Why shouldn’t he have a supper?” she demanded angrily.  “I’m starving—­we’re all starving for decent food.  I’m kept here against my will.  Why shouldn’t I have one respectable meal?  You with your wretched stewed fruits and whole-wheat breads!  Ugh!”

“I’m sorry.  Thoburn’s idea, of course, is to make the guests discontented, so they will leave.”

“Oh!” she said.  She hadn’t thought of that, and she flushed.  “At least,” she said, “you must give me credit for not trying to spoil Dick and Dolly’s chance here.”

“We are going to allow the party to go on,” he said, still stiff and uncompromising.  It would have been better if he’d accepted her bit of apology.

“How kind of you!  I dare say he would have it, anyhow.”  She was sarcastic again.

“Probably.  And you—­will go?”

“Certainly.”

“Even when the result—­”

“Oh, don’t preach!” she said, putting her hands to her ears.  “If you and Minnie want to preach, why don’t you preach at each other?  Minnie talks ‘love, love, love.’  And you preach health and morality.  You drive me crazy between you.”

“Suppose,” he said with a gleam in his eyes, “suppose I preach ’love, love, love!’”

She put her fingers in her ears again.  “Say it to Minnie,” she cried, and turned her back to him.

“Very well,” he said.  “Minnie, Miss Jennings refuses to listen, and there are some things I must say.  Once again I am going to register a protest against her throwing herself away in a loveless marriage.  I—­I feel strongly on the subject, Minnie.”

She half turned, as if to interrupt.  Then she thought better of it and kept her fingers in her ears, her face flushed.  But he had learned what he hoped—­that she could hear him.

“You ask me why I feel so strongly, Minnie, and you are right to ask.  Under ordinary circumstances, Minnie, any remark of mine on the subject would be ridiculous impertinence.”

He stopped and eyed her back, but she did not move.

“It is impertinence under any circumstances, but consider the provocation.  I see a young, beautiful and sensitive girl, marrying, frankly without love, a man whom I know to be unworthy, and you ask me to stand aside and allow it to happen!”

“Are you still preaching?” she asked coldly over her shoulder.  “It must be a long sermon.”

And then, knowing he had only a moment more, his voice changed and became deep and earnest.  His hands, that were clutching a chair-back, took a stronger hold, so that the ends of the nails were white.

“You see, Minnie,” he said, turning a little pale, “I—­I love Miss Jennings myself.  You have known it a long time, for you love her, too.  It has come to the point that I measure the day by the hours when I can see her.  She doesn’t care for me; sometimes I think she hates me.”  He paused here, but Miss Patty didn’t move.  “I haven’t anything to offer a woman except a clean life and the kind of love that a woman could be proud of.  I have no title—­”