Clara walked moodily beside him.
"Why," she asked at length, in rather a jarring tone, "did you leave Miriam ?" He frowned.
"Because I WANTED to leave her," he said.
"Why ?" "Because I didn't want to go on with her.

And I didn't want to marry." She was silent for a moment.

They picked their way down the muddy path.
Drops of water fell from the elm-trees.
"You didn't want to marry Miriam, or you didn't want to marry at all ?" she asked.
"Both," he answered--"both!" They had to manoeuvre to get to the stile, because of the pools of water.
"And what did she say ?" Clara asked.
"Miriam?
She said I was a baby of four, and that I always HAD battled her off." Clara pondered over this for a time.
"But you have really been going with her for some time ?" she asked.
"Yes." "And now you don't want any more of her ?" "No.

I know it's no good." She pondered again.
"Don't you think you've treated her rather badly ?" she asked.
"Yes; I ought to have dropped it years back.

But it would have been no good going on.