"Forgive me," he said, then; "but are you actually in earnest?"
"Yes," she said again, and marvelled at her own daring.
His hold tightened upon her wrists. "You are a very brave girl," he said.
There was a baffling note in his tone, and she glanced up involuntarily.
To her intense relief she saw the quizzical, kindly look in his eyes
again.
"Will you allow me to say," he said, "that I don't think you were created
for a consolation prize?"
He spoke somewhat grimly, but his tone was not without humour. Molly sat
quite still in his hold. She had a feeling that she had grossly insulted
him, that she had made it his right to treat her exactly as he chose.
After a moment he set her quietly free.
"I see you are serious," he said. "If you weren't--it would be
intolerable. But do you actually expect me to take you at your word?"
She did not hesitate. "I wish you to," she said.
"You think you would be happy with me?" he pursued. "You know, I am
called eccentric by a good many."
"You are eccentric," said Molly, "or you wouldn't dream of marrying one
of us. As to being happy, it isn't my nature to be miserable. I don't
want to be a countess, but I do want to help my people. That in itself
would make me happy."
"Thank you for telling me the truth," Wyverton said, gravely. "I believe
I have suspected some of it from the first. And now listen.
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