she loved, thereby he would be saved, and she would be saved, much
unpleasantness. He had hoped that it was he himself that she loved. Yet
he had feared that it was not. And he had known that whether it were he
who asked, or Schuyler, or any man, it would make no difference; for when
a woman like that loves a man, it is that man alone she loves; and the
rest means nothing. No thought of an unfair advantage was in his mind. In
such a case there could be no such thing as that. It was only whether or
not she loved one of them, and if so, which one; and beyond that there
was nothing--nothing except that he wished to take from Schuyler any
unhappiness that might lie there for him. For he was a friend such as few
men may ever have and, having, may pray to keep.

And now he knew the answer. It was in the depths of the violet eyes--in
the eagerness of lips and lithe, supple body--it was of her--about her.
Blake's lips became thin; his jaws set; his eyes half shut. To have lost
a father, and a mother, and such a girl as was she, and all within an
eighteen month, was bitter, indeed.

He heard her say, as from a great distance:

"It was fine of you to come like this, Tom.... I do love Jack; I thought
once, that I loved you, Tom.... That was strange, wasn't it? It's strange
to sit here now, with you, telling you of it.... Though, of course, you
don't care.... He will come soon, won't he? You don't know how I've
missed him, Tom.... It would be a strange situation, wouldn't it, if we
hadn't known one another so well, and cared for one another, so deeply in
such a friendly, brother-and-sisterly sort of way.... I think, in some
ways, I ought to be angry with Jack for not coming himself.... But it's
as though you were my big brother, Tom.... You know how Jack feels toward
me; and so you are anxious to act as sort of a buffer, in case everything