"
"I--believe you. But unfortunately we are not elsewhere."
"I'm going to take you away," she exclaimed, forcefully.
Esteban stroked her hand softly. "You can't do that, Miss Evans.
You have been wonderful to me and I can't begin to express my
gratitude--" Norine stirred, but he retained his grasp of her
fingers, gaining courage from the contact to proceed. "I have been
trying for a long time to tell you something. Will you listen?"
Norine possessed a dominant personality; she had a knack of
tactfully controlling and directing situations, but of a sudden
she experienced a panic-stricken nutter and she lost her air of
easy confidence.
"Not now," she exclaimed, with a visible lessening of color.
"Don't bother to tell me now."
"I've waited too long; I must speak."
Norine was amazed at her own confusion, which was nothing less
than girlish; she had actually gone to pieces at threat of
something she had long expected to hear.
"I know how tired of this work you have become," the man was
saying. "I know you're eager to get back to your own work and your
own life."
"Well?"
"You have stayed on here just to nurse me. Isn't that true?"
She nodded somewhat doubtfully.
"Now then, you must stop thinking about me and--make your
arrangements to go home."
Norine eyed the speaker queerly.
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