"That," said Pierre, "is another matter. You forget that I am a
blackguard."
Again she heard in his voice that sound that might have been laughter.
It thrilled her strangely, seeming in some fashion to convey a message
that was beyond words. She turned in his arms, responding instinctively,
and clung closely to him.
"I forget everything," she told him very earnestly, "except that
to-morrow--or the next day--you will be--my husband."
His arms grew tense about her. She felt his breathing quicken.
"Be careful!" he muttered. "Be careful! Remember, I am not to be
trusted."
But she answered him with that laughter that is without fear and more
intimate than speech.
"All that is over," she said, and lifted her face to his. And then, more
softly, in a voice that quivered and broke, "I trust you with my whole
heart. And Pierre--my Pierre--you will never again--kiss me--against my
will!"
* * * * *
Where the Heart Is
"Of course, I know that a quiet, well-meanin' fool like myself hasn't
much of a chance with women, but I just thought I'd give you the
opportunity of refusin' me, and then we should know where we were."
It was leisurely uttered, and without any hint of agitation. The speaker
was lying on his back at the end of a long, green lawn. His hat was over
the upper part of his face, leaving only his mouth visible.
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