broke in: "Is that why I mayn't go up tomorrow?"

"Not tomorrow!"

"Then when may I?"

"Later...in a little while...a few days..."

"In how many days?" "Owen!" his step-mother interposed; but he seemed
no longer aware of her. "If you go away today, the day that our
engagement's made known, it's only fair," he persisted, "that you should
tell me when I am to see you."

Sophy's eyes wavered between the two and dropped down wearily. "It's you
who are not fair--when I've said I wanted to be quiet."

"But why should my coming disturb you? I'm not asking now to come
tomorrow. I only ask you not to leave without telling me when I'm to see
you."

"Owen, I don't understand you!" his step-mother exclaimed.

"You don't understand my asking for some explanation, some assurance,
when I'm left in this way, without a word, without a sign? All I ask her
to tell me is when she'll see me."

Anna turned back to Sophy Viner, who stood straight and tremulous
between the two.

"After all, my dear, he's not unreasonable!"

"I'll write--I'll write," the girl repeated.

"WHAT will you write?" he pressed her vehemently.

"Owen," Anna exclaimed, "you are unreasonable!"

He turned from Sophy to his step-mother. "I only want her to say what
she means: that she's going to write to break off our engagement. Isn't
that what you're going away for?"

Anna felt the contagion of his excitement. She looked at Sophy, who
stood motionless, her lips set, her whole face drawn to a silent fixity
of resistance.

"You ought to speak, my dear--you ought to answer him."

"I only ask him to wait----"

"Yes," Owen, broke in, "and you won't say how long!"

Both instinctively addressed themselves to Anna, who stood, nearly as
shaken as themselves, between the double shock of their struggle. She
looked again from Sophy's inscrutable eyes to Owen's stormy features;
then she said: "What can I do, when there's clearly something between
you that I don't know about?"

"Oh, if it WERE between us! Can't you see it's outside of us--outside
of her, dragging at her, dragging her away from me?" Owen wheeled round
again upon his step-mother.

Anna turned from him to the girl. "Is it true that you want to break
your engagement? If you do, you ought to tell him now."

Owen burst into a laugh. "She doesn't dare to--she's afraid I'll guess
the reason!"

A faint sound escaped from Sophy's lips, but she kept them close on
whatever answer she had ready.

"