‘Did I?’

‘Did you not?’

‘I don’t know what I said.  Perhaps if I said that, I didn’t mean it.’

‘Am I to believe that?’

‘Perhaps you didn’t mean it yourself.’

’By George, I did.  I was quite in earnest.  There never was a fellow more in earnest than I was.  I’ve come down here on purpose to say it again.’

‘To say what?’

‘Whether you’ll accept me?’

‘I don’t know whether you love me well enough.’  She longed to be told by him that he loved her.  He had no objection to tell her so, but, without thinking much about it, felt it to be a bore.  All that kind...