with a great effort. "If you like I
won't ... I won't go out with him any more."

"Oh, you needn't worry," Emmy doggedly said, with her teeth almost
clenched. "I'm not worrying about it." She tried then to keep silent;
but the words were forced from her wounded heart. With uncontrollable
sarcasm she said: "It's very good of you, I'm sure!"

"Em!" It was coaxing. Jenny went nearer. Still there was no reply.
"Em ... don't be a silly cat. If he'd only ask _you_ to go once or twice.
He'd always want to. You needn't worry about me being ... See, I like
somebody else--another fellow. He's on a ship. Nowhere near here. I only
go with Alf because ... well, after all, he's a man; and they're scarce.
Suppose I leave off going with him...."

Both knew she had nothing but kind intention, as in fact the betrayal of
her own secret proved; but as Jenny could not keep out of her voice the
slightest tinge of complacent pity, so Emmy could not accept anything
so intolerable as pity.

"Thanks," she said in perfunctory refusal; "but you can do what you
like. Just what you like." She was implacable. She was drying the basin,
her face hidden. "I'm not going to take your leavings." At that her
voice quivered and had again that thread of roughness in it which had
been there earlier. "Not likely!"

"Well, I can't help it, can I!" cried Jenny, out of patience. "If he
likes me best. If he _won't_ come to you. I mean, if I say I won't go
out with him--will that put him on to you or send him off altogether?
Em, do be sensible. Really, I never knew. Never dreamt of it. I've never
wanted him. It's not as though he'd whistled and I'd gone trotting after
him. Em! You get so ratty about--"

"Superior!" cried Emmy, gaspingly. "Look down on me!" She was for an
instant hysterical, speaking loudly and weepingly. Then she was close
against Jenny; and they were holding each other tightly, while Emmy's
dreadful quiet sobs shook both of them to the heart. And Jenny, above
her sister's shoulder, could see through the window the darkness that
lay without; and her eyes grew tender at an unbidden thought, which made
her try to force herself to see through the darkness, as though she were
sending a speechless message to the unknown. Then, feeling Emmy still
sobbing in her arms, she looked down, laying her face against her
sister's face. A little contemptuous smile appeared in her eyes, and her
brow furrowed. Well, Emmy could cry. _She_ couldn't. She didn't wa