I am not
angry with you," she said, seeing how downcast he looked; "but you
must not talk like that any more; it would be wrong at any time;
it is specially so now, when we are all shut up here together, and
none can say what will happen to us."
"It seemed to me that was just the reason why I could speak about
it, Miss Hannay. We may none of us get out of this fix we are in,
and I do think we ought all to be friends together now. Richards
and I both agreed that as it was certain neither of us had a chance
of winning you, the next best thing was to see you and Bathurst
come together. Well, now all that's over, of course, but is it
wrong for me to ask, how is it you have come to dislike him?"
"But I don't dislike him, Mr. Wilson."
"Well, then, why do you go on as if you didn't like him?"
Isobel hesitated. From most men she would have considered the
question impertinent, and would have resented it, but this frank
faced boy meant no impertinence; he loved her in his honest way,
and only wanted to see her happy.
"I can't speak to him if he doesn't speak to me," she said desperately.
"No, of course not," he agreed; "but why shouldn't he speak to you?
You can't have done anything to offend him except taking up with
Forster."
"It is nothing to do with Captain Forster at all, Mr. Wilson; I--"
and she hesitated. "I said something at which he had the right to
feel hurt and offended, and he has never given me any opportunity
since of saying that I was sorry.
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