"
"I daresay that was a great comfort to him," said Howard.
"I meant it to be," said Maud, "but I did not feel I could go on
acting in a sort of melodrama."
"Now, I am very inquisitive," said Howard, "and you needn't answer
me if you don't like--but that day that I met you going away from
Aunt Anne--oh, what a pig I was! I was at the top of my highminded
game--what had happened then?"
"Of course I will tell you," said Maud, "if you want to know. Well,
I rather broke down, and said that things had gone wrong; that you
had begun by being so nice to me, and we seemed to have made
friends; and that then a cloud had come between us: and then Cousin
Anne said it would be all right, she KNEW; and she said some things
about you I won't repeat, to save your modesty; and then she said,
'Don't be AFRAID, Maud! don't be ashamed of caring for people!
Howard is used to making friends with boys, and he is puzzled by
you; he wants a friend like you, but he is afraid of caring for
people. You are not afraid of him nor he of you, but he is afraid
of his own fear.' She did not seem to know how I cared, but she put
it all right somehow; she prayed with me, for courage and patience;
and I felt I could afford to wait and see what happened."
"And then?" said Howard.
"Why, you know the rest!" said Maud. "I saw as we sate by the wall,
in a flash, that you did indeed care for me, and I thought to
myself, 'Here is the best thing in the world, and we can't be going
to miss it out of politeness;' and then it was all over in a
moment!"
"Politeness!" said Howard, "yes, it was all politeness; that's my
greatest sin.
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