But a man, when he has been rejected,--rejected with a finality that is acknowledged by himself,--is unwilling to speak or hear a word upon the subject, and would willingly wash the episode out from his heart if it were possible.
But not on that his first night would he begin to speak of Clara Amedroz.

He would not let his sister believe that his heart was too full of the subject to allow of his thinking of other matters.

Mary was still up, waiting for him when he arrived, with tea, and cream, and fruit ready for him.

"Oh, Mary!" he said, "why are you not in bed?
You know that I would have come to you up-stairs." She excused herself, smiling, declaring that she could not deny herself the pleasure of being with him for half an hour on his first return from his travels.

"Of course I want to know what they are like," she said.
"He is a nice-looking old man," said Will, "and she is a nice-looking young woman." "That is graphic and short, at any rate." "And he is weak and silly, but she is strong and--and--and--" "Not silly also, I hope ?" "Anything but that.