The Argosy — page 383: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

362 Prudence Hart. by his side and listened to him, finding the occupation, perhaps, not unpleasant. ‘Tf it is only that you mind what the rest may say, you ought not to give me up for that,” the young man eagerly argued. ‘“ And you are not going to tell me, Prudence, that you don’t care at all for me? You have as good as said you liked me before now. I don’t think that you would have let things go as far as they have—that you would have let me get so fond of you as you know I have been getting—if you had not meant to give something back to me at last.” “You forget, Mr. Keith, that people are sometimes a little weak,” replied Miss Hart to this appeal; and then, at last, she cast her eyes modestly to the ground. ‘‘/ was very weak if I ever said I liked you.” ‘‘ But unless it had been true you would not have said it at all!” exclaimed Keith triumphantly; ‘‘and the truth of it is all I want you to allow. If you let me know that you like me, you can’t imagine,” cried the young man, “‘that I am going to give you up. Prudence, Zo you like me?” And with the last words, which came from his lips with a tremulous tenderness, he ventured to touch her hand, and after a moment, even to take it in his own. She submitted to this movement for a few seconds, but after that space of time she gave a little, just audible sigh, and drew herself away from him. “This is very foolish,” she said abruptly. ‘Foolish, do you call it!” ejaculated Keith, with ail his face on fire. ‘‘ It seems to me like—like standing on the threshold of some new world.” ‘Well, and may not the threshold of a new world be a very risky place to stand on?” inquired Miss Hart. ‘‘I am a coward, you see, Mr. Keith, and I am afraid of the unknown. Come, I repeat it is all foolish. Let us forget this last half hour.” ‘How can you tell me to do that, as if you believed that it was possible?” the young man broke out, passionately. ‘You have been very unwise,” said Miss Hart, reprovingly. ‘““T have to learn that yet,” he replied. ‘‘Surely, Prudence, I have told you nothing this morning that you did not know before ! You allow that, do you not? And, dear,” he went on, ardently, after a moment’s silence, “if you have known that indeed, and if you have still gone on meeting me, how can I believe that all this time you have meant to say No to me at last? You cannot have meant it; there is so much between No and Yes. Give me one word of hope, and I will wait—you do not know how patiently I will wait—for the rest.” And then she made no immediate answer to him ; but, after a little pause, she finally did give him one word of hope. It was a very cool and cautious word, but, such as it was, it raised ECONMICLICOO_KS.(e©) m