And, womanlike--after there was no more danger and no more necessity for pluck--she got scared and ran; and the farther she ran the more scared she became.

Look here, Louis; look at me--squarely." He laid both ponderous hands on Neville's shoulders: "Sam has told me all about you and Miss West--and I can guess how your family takes it.

Can't you see why she had the pluck to remain silent about this thing?
It was because she saw in it the brutal contempt of the world toward a woman who stood in that world alone, unsupported, unprotected.

And she would not have you and your family know how lightly the world held the woman whom you love and wish to marry--not for her own sake alone--but for the sake of your family's pride--and yours." His hands dropped from Neville's shoulders; he stood considering him for a moment in silence.
"I've told _you_ because, if you are the man I think you are, you ought to know the facts.

Forcing her to the humiliation of telling you will not help matters; filling this pup full of lead means an agony of endless publicity and shame for her, for your family, and for you....
He'll never dare remain in the same county with her after this.