Not
till then do I think of what I have been doing. Why should I stare so
long at the fire?
Asop lifts his head and listens; he hears footsteps; Eva appears among
the trees.
"I am very thoughtful and sad this evening," I say.
And in sympathy she makes no answer.
"I love three things," I go on. "I love a dream of love I once had; I
love you; and I love this spot of ground."
"And which do you love most?"
"The dream."
All still again. Asop knows Eva; he lays his head on one side and looks
at her. I murmur:
"I saw a girl on the road to-day; she walked arm in arm with her lover.
The girl looked towards me, and could scarcely keep from laughing as I
passed."
"What was she laughing at?"
"I don't know. At me, I suppose. Why do you ask?"
"Did you know her?"
"Yes. I bowed."
"And didn't she know you?"
"No, she acted as if she didn't know me... But why do you sit there
worming things out of me? It is not a nice thing to do. You will not get
me to tell you her name."
Pause.
I murmur again:
"What was she laughing at? She is a flirt; but what was she laughing at?
What had I done to harm her?"
Eva answers:
"It was cruel of her to laugh at you."
"No, it was not cruel of her," I cry. "How dare you sit there speaking
ill of her? She never did an unkind thing; it was only right that she
should laugh at me.
Pages:
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129