Thou shouldest have told her, child, and have spared thyself much weary misery." Kate's head was hung very low; neither parent could see her face.
"I did not dare," she answered softly; "I knew that I was wrong.

I feared to speak." "Thou art a strange mixture of courage and fear, my saucy Kate.

I would once have vowed that thou wouldst fear not to speak aloud every thought of thy heart.

But love changes all, I ween, and makes sad cowards of the boldest of us.

And so thou didst wait till he declared his love, and fretted out thy heart in silence the while ?" Kate lifted her head and looked at her father, a faint perplexity in her eyes.
"Nay, I ever knew he loved me.