GEORGIANA. No, I didn't know it. I thought--there were reasons why I
thought he didn't love me. But I understand now. Listen; I'll read you a
part of his letter--_a part of it!_ Oh, this makes up for everything,
Steve. [_She reads._] "My dear--[_She stops and improvises the next
three words._] my dear Georgy: [_She looks up slyly to see if Steven
noticed the change; he didn't._] Each steamer brings me letters from
home, but never a word of your engagement to Coast, never a word of your
marriage. Is that broken off--" How do you suppose he got the impression
I was going to marry Sam?

STEVEN. Why everybody has seen, who cared to look, that Sam was dead in
love with you.

GEORGIANA. Yes, but--well--never mind, listen--"Well, however it is,
we're starting off to-morrow out of reach of letters and everything
else, except an ugly band of natives that we came here to do for. The
chances are pretty big against many of us getting back, and anyway I'm
going to take this chance to tell you that I love you better than
anything and everything and everybody in the world. And in case I never
come back, somehow or other, I don't know why, I want you to know it. I
was a little late in finding it out,--all of a sudden I knew you were
the only woman for me, and that the only thing I seemed to want in the
world was you for _a wife_. And there was Coast ahead of me! I don't
know if it would have made any difference if you loved Coast and not me,
perhaps you never would have cared for me, but I'd have done my best,
for, Georgy--I love you"--[_She reads ahead to herself, murmuring so he
cannot understand._] "I don't know why I must tell you all this, but I
must"--[_She reads ahead again in silence, skipping the passages which
are too loving and too precious to read aloud._] I think that's
all--[_She looks up and smiles, and adds softly._] that I care to read