'No, no; I cannot give you up! This hopelessness in our affairs makes me care more for you....I see what did not strike me at first. Stephen, why do we trouble? Why should papa object? An architect in London is an architect in London. Who inquires there? Nobody. We shall live there, shall we not? Why need we be so alarmed?'
'And Elfie,' said Stephen, his hopes kindling with hers, 'Knight thinks nothing of my being only a cottager's son; he says I am as worthy of his friendship as if I were a lord's; and if I am worthy of his friendship, I am worthy of you, am I not, Elfride?'
'I not only have never loved anybody but you,' she said, instead of giving an answer, 'but I have not even formed a strong friendship, such as you have for Knight. I wish you hadn't. It diminishes me.'
'Now, Elfride, you know better,' he said wooingly. 'And had you really never any sweetheart at all?'
'None that was ever recognized by me as such.'
'But did nobody ever love you?'
'Yes--a man did once; very much, he said.'
'How long ago?'
'Oh, a long time.'
'How long, dearest?
'A twelvemonth.'
'That's not VERY long' (rather disappointedly).
'I said long, not very long.'
'And did he want to marry you?'
'I believe he did. But I didn't see anything in him. He was not good enough, even if I had loved him.'
'May I ask what he was?'
'A farmer.'
'A farmer not good enough--how much better than my family!' Stephen murmured.
'Where is he now?' he continued to Elfride.
'HERE.'
'Here! what do you mean by that?'
'I mean that he is here.'
'Where here?'
'Under us. He is under this tomb. He is dead, and we are sitting on his grave.'
'Elfie,' said the young man, standing up and looking at the tomb, 'how odd and sad that revelation seems! It quite depresses me for the moment.'
'Stephen! I didn't wish to sit here; but you would do so.'
'You never encouraged him?'
'Never by look, word, or sign,' she said solemnly. 'He died of consumption, and was buried the day you first came.'
'Let us go away. I don't like standing by HIM, even if you never loved him. He was BEFORE me.'
'Worries make you unreasonable,' she half pouted, following Stephen at the distance of a few steps. 'Perhaps I ought to have told you before we sat down. Yes; let us go.'