Suddenly she looked up.
"Mr.Paine," she said, "you are making it hard for me to say what I intended.

But I think I should say it, and so I will.

I beg your pardon for speaking as I did when I last saw you.

I had no right to judge or criticize you, none whatever." "You do not need to apologize, Miss Colton.

What you told me was probably true enough." The conventional answer to this would have been a half-hearted denial of my statement.