"But my father did me a graver wrong, Graydon. I have thought it all out. I have no right to be alive, so what right have I to be any man's wife?"
"Nonsense, dearest. You are alive, and you live for me, as I do for you. You have saved my life; you must save my love. These last few weeks have knit our lives together so completely that neither of us has the right to change God's evident purpose. I love you for yourself, Jane. That is enough. There has not been an instant in which I have felt that any circumstance could alter my hope to marry you. You say; you have no name. You forget that you may have mine, dearest--and it is not much to be proud of, I fear, in the light of certain things. You must be my wife, Jane."
"I cannot, Graydon. That is final. Don't! Don't plead, dear. It will not avail. Look into my eyes. Don't you see that I mean it, Graydon?"
"By Heaven, Jane, your eyes are lying to me. You can't mean what is back of them. It's cruel--it's wrong"
"Hush! you must not become excited. You are far from strong, and I am still your nurse. Be---"
"You are my life--you are everything. I can't give you up It's ridiculous to take this stand. Be sensible. Look at it from my point of view."
"There is only one point of view and love has nothing to do with it. Come, let us talk of something else. Have you heard from your--your father? Does he know you've been injured?"
He looked long into her tense face and then muttered, with the sullen despair of the sick: "I don't know. I've had no word from anyone."
"The despatches have doubtless given your name. One of the Chicago correspondents was talking about you recently. Your father will surely write to you now."
"Are you eager to have him do so? I should think you'd hate his name. I can't help caring for dad, Jane. I tried to curse him one time, but he really has been good to me. I don't see how he can have done the things they say he's done."
"There may be a mistake."
That's good of you, dear, but you forget your mother's statements and all that Rigby says--all that. Oh, I've gone over all of it, and I am convinced. I wonder what has become of him. He was afraid of--of--well, there was talk of an arrest before I left. I have not looked at a newspaper since I saw the headlines that awful morning. God, how they must have hurt you!"