"Then you DON'T love anybody more than you do me?" she cried eagerly,
and she gazed up at him with adoring eyes.
"I didn't say any such thing," hedged Alfred.
"Then you DO," she accused him.
"I DON'T," he declared in self defence.
With a cry of joy, she sprang into his arms, clasped her fingers tightly
behind his neck, and rained impulsive kisses upon his unsuspecting face.
For an instant, Alfred looked down at Zoie, undecided whether to
strangle her or to return her embraces. As usual, his self-respect won
the day for him and, with a determined effort, he lifted her high in the
air, so that she lost her tenacious hold of him, and sat her down with
a thud in the very same chair in which she had lately dropped his hat.
Having acted with this admirable resolution, he strode majestically
toward the inner hall, but before he could reach it, Zoie was again
on her feet, in a last vain effort to conciliate him. Turning, Alfred
caught sight of his poor battered hat. This was the final spur to
action. Snatching it up with one hand, and throwing his latchkey on the
table with the other, he made determinedly for the outer door.
Screaming hysterically, Zoie caught him just as he reached the threshold
and threw the whole weight of her body upon him.
"Alfred," she pleaded, "if you REALLY love me, you CAN'T leave me like
this!" Her emotion was now genuine. He looked down at her gravely--then
into the future.
"There are other things more important than what YOU call 'love,'" he
said, very solemnly.
"There is such a thing as a soul, if you only knew it. And you have hurt
mine through and through."
"But how, Alfred, how?" asked the small person, and there was a frown of
genuine perplexity on her tiny puckered brow. "What have I REALLY DONE,"
She stroked his hand fondly; her baby eyes searched his face.
"It isn't so much what people DO to us that counts," answered Alfred in
a proud hurt voice. "It's how much they DISAPPOINT us in what they do. I
expected better of YOU," he said sadly.
"I'll DO better," coaxed Zoie, "if you'll only give me a chance."
He was half inclined to believe her.
"Now, Allie," she pleaded, perceiving that his resentment was dying and
resolved to, at last, adopt a straight course, "if you'll only listen,
I'll tell you the REAL TRUTH."