" Her voice trembled, thrilled. "You don't know yet how
wholly I'm yours. Oh, it isn't _that_ alone, Ban. But in spirit and
thought. In the world of shadowed and lovely things that we made for
ourselves long ago."
"But to have to endure this atmosphere of secrecy, of stealth, of danger
to you," he fretted. "You could get your divorce."
"No; I can't. You don't understand."
"Perhaps I do understand," he said gently.
"About Del?" She drew a quick breath. "How could you?"
"Wholly through an accident. A medical man, a slimy little reptile,
surprised his secret and inadvertently passed it on."
She leaned forward to him from her corner of the settee, all courage and
truth. "I'm glad that you know, though I couldn't tell you, myself.
You'll see now that I couldn't leave him to face it alone."
"No. You couldn't. If you did, it wouldn't be Io."
"Ah, and I love you for that, too," she whispered, her voice and eyes
one caress to him. "I wonder how I ever made myself believe that I could
get over loving you! Now, I've got to pay for my mistake. Ban, do you
remember the 'Babbling Babson'? The imbecile who saw me from the train
that day?"
"I remember every smallest thing in any way connected with you."
"I love to hear you say that.
Pages:
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633
634
635
636
637