To him, while his words had been doubtful,--while he had simply played at making love to her, she had given no hint of the state of her affections.

She had so carried herself before him as to make him doubt whether success could be possible for him.

But now,--why should she hesitate now?
It was as she had hoped,--or as she had hardly dared to hope.

He did love her.

"I can," she said; and then, before he could speak again, she repeated her words with more emphasis.
"Indeed I can; with all my heart." As regarded herself, she was quite equal to the occasion; but had she known more of the inner feelings of men and women in general, she would have been slower to show her own.