"I can quite believe that," he agreed, "but there's this
important difference: no matter how much a man wants to marry
you, he can't LOVE you as I do!"

"That's ANOTHER thing they think," sighed Helen.

"I'm sorry to be so unoriginal," snapped Latimer.

"PLEASE don't!" pleaded Helen. "I don't mean to be unfeeling. I'm
not unfeeling. I'm only trying to be fair. If I don't seem to
take it to heart, it's because I know it does no good. I can see
how miserable a girl must be if she is loved by one man and can't
make up her mind whether or not she wants to marry him. But when
there's so many she just stops worrying; for she can't possibly
marry them all."

"ALL!" exclaimed Latimer. "It is incredible that I have
undervalued you, but may I ask how many there are?"

"I don't know," sighed Helen miserably. "There seems to be
something about me that--"

"There is!" interrupted Latimer. "I've noticed it. You don't have
to tell me about it. I know that the Helen Page habit is a damned
difficult habit to break!"

It cannot be said that he made any violent effort to break it. At
least, not one that was obvious to Fair Harbor or to Helen.