Never before has he tied himself to any one girl until last fall." "Now what has it been since ?" "He's been so moody, so irritable, so fretted over his work, so unlike himself; and his picture has failed, dismally." "Do you want to ruin his career ?" Billy began to see now that she had not really answered Kate's letter at all.

The matter was not closed.

Her reply had been, perhaps, courteous and dignified--but it had not been conclusive nor effectual.
Billy had reached home now, and she was crying.

Bertram _had_ acted strangely, of late.

Bertram _had_ seemed troubled over something.