nd everything else beside: Galatea, the statue, with a Christian soul.
She is the best that could fall to any man, but better for me than for
any one else. Anybody who sees her must love her, but I was made for
nothing else but to love her. This is what mythologies meant. She is
Venus: she loves laughter, and her teeth and lips are divine. She is
Diana: she makes the night beautiful; she has the eye and the arm of an
athlete goddess. But she is a woman: she is Mrs. Belding's daughter
Alice. Thank heaven, she lives here. I can call and see her. To-morrow,
I shall ride with her. She will love and marry some day like other
women. Who is the man who shall ever kiss her between those straight
brows? And fancies more audacious and extravagant fed the fever of his
heart as he talked deliberate small talk, still holding his hat and
whip in his hand.

He knew it was time he should go, but could not leave the joy of his
eyes and ears. At last his thoughts, like a vase too full, ran over
into speech. It was without premeditation, almost without conscious
intention. The under-tone simply became dominant and overwhelmed the
frivolous surface talk. She had been talking of her mother's plans of
summer travel, and he suddenly interrupted her by saying in the most
natural tone in the world: "I must see your mother before she decides.
I hope you will make no plans without me. I shall go where you go. I
shall never be away from you again, if I can help it. No, no, do not
frown about it. I must tell you. I love you; my whole life is yours."

She felt terribly shocked and alarmed, not so much at his words as at
her own agitation. She feared for a moment she could not rise from her
seat, but she did so with an effort. He rose and approached her,
evidently held in check by her inflexible face; for the crisis had
brought a momentary self-control with it, and she looked formidable
with her knit brows and closed lips.

"Do not go," he pleaded. "Do not think I have been wanting in respect
and consideration. I could not help saying what I did. I cannot live
without you any more than I can without light and sunshine. I ought to
have waited and not startled you. But I have only begun to live since I
loved you, and I feel I must not waste time."

She was deeply disturbed at these wild and whirling words, but still
bore herself bravely. She felt her heart touched by the vibration of
his ardent speech, but her maiden instinct of self defence enabled