Kate obeyed, and with the writing material, laid down the letter
she had that morning received from John Jardine, telling her that
his wife had died suddenly, and that as soon as he had laid her
away, he was coming to exact a definite promise from her as to the
future; and that he would move Heaven and earth before he would
again be disappointed. Robert read the letter and laid it down,
his face slowing flushing scarlet.
"You called me out here, and married me expressly to answer this?"
he demanded.
"Of course!" said Kate. "I thought if you could tell him that his
letter came the day I married you, it would stop his coming, and
not be such a disappointment to him."
Robert pushed the letter from him violently, and arose "By -- --!"
he checked himself and stared at her. "Kate, you don't MEAN
that!" he cried. "Tell me, you don't MEAN that!"
"Why, SURE I do," said Kate. "It gave me a fine excuse. I was so
homesick for you, and tired waiting to begin life with you.
Agatha told me about her telling you the day she was ill, to marry
me; and the reason I wouldn't was because I thought maybe you
asked me so offhandlike, because she TOLD you to, and you didn't
really love me. Then this morning she was here, and we were
talking, and she got round it again, and then she told me ALL you
said, and I saw you did love me, and that you would have asked me
if she hadn't said anything, and I wanted you so badly. Robert,
ever since that day we met on the footlog, I've know that you were
the only man I'd every really WANT to marry. Robert, I've never
come anywhere near loving anybody else. The minute Agatha told me
this morning, I began to think how I could take back what I'd been
saying, how I could change, and right then Adam handed me that
letter, and it gave me a fine way out, and so I called you. Sure,
I married you to answer that, Robert; now go and do it."
"All right," he said. "In a minute."
Then he walked to her and took her in his arms again, but Kate
could not understand why he was laughing until he shook when he
kissed her.