Білі люди
Chapter VII
“Goodnight!goodnight!”hesaid,andwentaway.Ifeltsomehowthathehadleftustogetherforapurpose,but,oh,Ididnotevenremotelydreamwhatthepurposewas!Butsoonshetoldme,almostinawhisper.
“Weloveyouverymuch,Ysobel,”shesaid.“Youknowthat?”
“Iloveyouboth,withallmyheart,”Ianswered.“IndeedIloveyou.”
“Wetwohavebeenmoretoeachotherthanmeremotherandson.Wehavebeensufficientforeachother.Buthebegantoloveyouthatfirstdaywhenhewatchedyouintherailwaycarriage.Hesaysitwasthefarlookinyoureyeswhichdrewhim.”
“Ibegantolovehim,too,”Isaid.AndIwasnotatallashamedorshyinsayingit.
“Wethreemighthavespentourlivestogether,”shewenton.“Itwouldhavebeenaperfectthing.But—but—”Shestoodupasifshecouldnotremainseated.InvoluntarilyIstoodupwithher.Shewastrembling,andshecaughtandheldmeinherarms.“Hecannotstay,Ysobel,”sheended.
IcouldscarcelyhearmyownvoicewhenIechoedthewords.
“Hecannot—stay?”
“Oh!thetimewillcome,”shesaid,“whenpeoplewholoveeachotherwillnotbeseparated,whenonthisveryearththerewillbenopain,nogrief,noage,nodeath—whenalltheworldhaslearnedtheLawatlast.Butwehavenotlearnedityet.Andherewestand!Thegreatestspecialistshavetoldus.Thereissomefatalflawinhisheart.Atanymoment,whenheistalkingtous,whenheisathiswork,whenheisasleep,hemay—cease.Itwilljustbeceasing.Atanymoment.Hecannotstay.”
Myownheartstoodstillforasecond
