drifting, until she was on a borderless sea of speculation.

"Why don't you come away?" he said, tenderly. "I will arrange
for you whatever--"

"Oh, don't," said Carrie.

"Don't what?" he asked. "What do you mean?"

There was a look of confusion and pain in her face. She was
wondering why that miserable thought must be brought in. She was
struck as by a blade with the miserable provision which was
outside the pale of marriage.

He himself realized that it was a wretched thing to have dragged
in. He wanted to weigh the effects of it, and yet he could not
see. He went beating on, flushed by her presence, clearly
awakened, intensely enlisted in his plan.

"Won't you come?" he said, beginning over and with a more
reverent feeling. "You know I can't do without you--you know it--
it can't go on this way--can it?"

"I know," said Carrie.

"I wouldn't ask if I--I wouldn't argue with you if I could help
it. Look at me, Carrie. Put yourself in my place. You don't
want to stay away from me, do you?"

She shook her head as if in deep thought.