His face was very white and his mouth twitched, but in a moment he had gained, in a measure, his self-control. "I don't blame you in the least, Rosemary. I deserve it all, I know. But, before you condemn me utterly, will you listen to me for a few moments?"
She assented, by the merest inclination of her head.
"I want to be honest with you," he went on, clearing his throat, "and I want to be honest with myself. No doubt you think I'm all kinds of a cad, and rightly so, but, at least, I've been honest--that is, I've tried to be.
"When I asked you to marry me, early in the Spring, I meant it, just as I mean it now, and I was glad when you said you would. Then--she came.
"I had nothing whatever to do with her coming, in fact, I protested against it, as mother will tell you if you ask her. I didn't know her, and I didn't want her, but after I knew her----"
Alden Was Glad
"You did want her," said Rosemary, coldly.
"Yes, I wanted her, and she was married to another man. She had sufficient grounds for a divorce, though she never told me what they were, and I pleaded with her to take advantage of the opportunity. I tried by every means in my power to persuade her, and when you--released me----"
"You were glad," she said, finishing the sentence for him.
"Yes," he replied, in a low tone, "I was glad. She decided, finally, to leave it to him. If he wanted her back, she would go; if he preferred his freedom, she would give it to him. And, of course, he wanted her, and he had the right."
"So she went."
"So she went, and it was all over, and we shall never see each other again."
"It's too bad," said Rosemary, icily. "I'm sorry for you both."
"Listen dear," he pleaded. His face was working piteously now. "I wish I could make you understand. I loved her, and I love her still. I shall love her as long as I live, and perhaps even after I'm dead. And she loves me. But, because of it, in some strange way that I don't comprehend myself, I seem to have more love to give others.
He States His Case
"I care more for my mother because I love--Edith, and, queer as you may think it, I care more for you. She has taken nothing away from you that I ever gave you--you are dearer to me to-day than when I first asked you to marry me, so long ago. I don't suppose you'll believe it, but it's the truth."