hrown me--as you will throw Mr. Mullen." His tone
grew suddenly stern. "You don't love Mr. Mullen, and you know it," he
added. "If you love any man on earth to-day, you love me."

At his first change from tenderness to accusation, her face hardened and
her voice returned to her control.

"What right have you to judge me, Abel Revercomb?" she asked angrily.
"I've had one sermon preached at me to-day, and I'll not listen to
another."

"You know I'm not preaching at you, Molly, but I'm a man of flesh and
blood, not of straw. How can I have patience?"

"I never asked you to have patience, did I?"

"No, and I don't believe you want it. If I'd catch hold of you and shake
you, you'd probably like me better."

"It's just as well that you don't try it to see how I'll take it."

"Oh, I shan't try it. I'll go on still believing in you against
yourself, like the born fool I am."

"You may believe in me or not just as you please--but it isn't my fault
if you won't go off and marry Judy Hatch, as I have begged you to.
She's everything on earth that Mr. Mullen preached about to-day in his
sermon."

"Hang Judy Hatch! You are bent on starting a quarrel with me, that is
the trouble. As soon as you mentioned Jonathan Gay I knew what you were
in for."

"As if I couldn't say a man was good looking without putting you into a
rage."

"I'm not in a rage, but I hate a flirt. Every sensible man does."

"Judy Hatch isn't a flirt."

"Leave Judy Hatch out of it--though I've more than half a mind to walk
off and ask her to marry me."

"That's just what I've advised you to do for the last six months, isn't
it?"

"Ah, no, you haven't, Molly, no, you haven't--and you'd be just as
sorry as I the minute after I had done it. You've got some small foolish
childish notions in your head about hating men--but you're much nearer
loving me than hating me at this moment, and that's why you're afraid!"

"I'm not afraid--how dare you say so?"

"Oh, my pretty, how foolish we are, both of us! I'd work my fingers to
the bone for you, Molly, I'd lie down and let your little feet walk over
me if they wanted to--I'd shed my life's blood for you, day by day, if
it could help you."

"Every one of you say this in the beginning, but it isn't true in the
end," she answered.

"Not true--not true? Prove it. Why do you think I've struggled and
raised myself except to keep equal with you? Why did I go to school and
teach myself and make money enough to