And if it were possible, I know I'd be loving
you right now even more than I did before, just because you've been so
entirely unsuccessful at it. Maybe I could straighten out a point or
two that must have been not quite clear to you; maybe--but I don't want
to argue back at you now.
"You say my telling you all I must tell you can't help my case a little
bit. All right--we'll let it stand like that, for the moment. And you
say you are going to marry Mr. Wickersham. All right again--but better
prophets than either of us have made mistakes before now! If he hadn't
forced on me one condition which I would have liked to be different,
I'd rather have had to mention no other man at all. This isn't the way
I'd have chosen to tell you how much I care. I'd rather have told you,
a little at a time, but there isn't time for that now. So maybe it'll
sound crude to you. I've not rehearsed it with any other woman, you
see. And if it does sound that way it won't help me much, either, will
it? But you're going to believe what I say!
"You started back a dozen years or so, in order to make your
explanation clear. I'm starting there myself, so I'll be sure you
understand. You've been grieving because you hurt me--hurt me twice.
Will you stop now, if I tell you that I wouldn't exchange those
two--shall we call them wounds--for all the kindnesses of all the other
women in the world? I did believe that you didn't think me good
enough, that first time.
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