miserably_
wretched."

Her voice broke and she seemed upon the point of tears.

"Why did you, Marcia? Why did you?" he repeated.

"I--I--" She appeared to break down and weep and Jerry's voice took on
a tone of distress.

"Don't, Marcia, please!"

"I--I'm trying not to--but--" and she wept anew.

"Come," said Jerry's voice. "Sit here a moment. I'm sure it can all be
explained. It makes me very unhappy to see you so miserable."

They moved nearer and she sat upon the very rock beneath which I lay
among the mouldy leaves; so near that I could have reached out and
touched the girl's silken ankle with my fingers. Jerry, I think, still
stood.

"I don't want to--to make you unhappy," she said in a moment. "And it
was all my fault, but I just couldn't--couldn't stand it, Jerry."

"Stand what?"

A pause and then in muffled tones.

"Don't you know? Don't you really understand?"

"No. I--"

"I was mad," she whispered, "mad with jealousy of Una. She was your
first love, your first--"

"Marcia! You mustn't. It's absurd."

"No, no," she protested. "I know. Ever since I first learned that she
had--had been in here with you, I--I haven't been able to get her out
of mind--I may have appeared to, but I'm not one who forgets things
easily; and to meet her at the cabin, the very place where I thought I
should--should have you all to myself--it was too much. Jerry. I
couldn't stand it. Something--something in me rebelled. I grew cold
all over and hard against all the world, even you."

"But this was foolish of you. Una, a friend. Surely there was no harm
in my seeing her here?"

"It was foolish," there was a slight change in the intonation of her
voice here, "but I know the world so much better than you, Jerry.
Girls are so designing, so--so untrustworthy."

"You don't know Una if you say that," said Jerry loyally.

"Perhaps I don't. I don't wish to think badly of anyone you call a
friend but Una is so--er--so independent--so accustomed to moving with
queer people--" She paused a moment again to give her insinuation
weight. "I don't know," she sighed. "I thought all sorts of horrible
things about you."

"Horrible! How? Why?"

"Oh, Jerry. Think for a moment. It was natural in me, wasn't it? If I
hadn't been jealous of you I couldn't have loved you very much, could
I?"

"But horrible thoughts! I don't understand. You might think that there
was something between Una and me if you chose to be suspicious, but to