"Yes; but you don't compare me to anything nice, and you do other people.
What is Em like, now?"

"The accompaniment of a song. She fills up the gaps in other people's
lives, and is always number two; but I think she is like many
accompaniments--a great deal better than the song she is to accompany."

"She is not half so good as you are!" said Gregory, with a burst of
uncontrollable ardour.

"She is so much better than I, that her little finger has more goodness in
it than my whole body. I hope you may not live to find out the truth of
that fact."

"You are like an angel," he said, the blood rushing to his head and face.

"Yes, probably; angels are of many orders."

"You are the one being that I love!" said Gregory quivering. "I thought I
loved before, but I know now! Do not be angry with me. I know you could
never like me; but, if I might but always be near you to serve you, I would
be utterly, utterly happy. I would ask nothing in return! If you could
only take everything I have and use it; I want nothing but to be of use to
you."

She looked at him for a few moments.

"How do you know," she said slowly, "that you could not do something to
serve me? You could serve me by giving me your name."