'Very pretty!' she said, laughing. 'And only six weeks since Miss
Johnson left.'
'Zounds, don't say anything about that!' implored Bob. 'I swear
that I never--never deliberately loved her--for a long time
together, that is; it was a sudden sort of thing, you know. But
towards you--I have more or less honoured and respectfully loved
you, off and on, all my life. There, that's true.'
Anne retorted quickly--
'I am willing, off and on, to believe you, Captain Robert. But I
don't see any good in your making these solemn declarations.'
'Give me leave to explain, dear Miss Garland. It is to get you to
be pleased to renew an old promise--made years ago--that you'll
think o' me.'
'Not a word of any promise will I repeat.'
'Well, well, I won't urge 'ee today. Only let me beg of you to get
over the quite wrong notion you have of me; and it shall be my whole
endeavour to fetch your gracious favour.'
Anne turned away from him and entered the house, whither in the
course of a quarter of an hour he followed her, knocking at her
door, and asking to be let in. She said she was busy; whereupon he
went away, to come back again in a short time and receive the same
answer.
'I have finished painting the summer-house for you,' he said through
the door.
'I cannot come to see it. I shall be engaged till supper-time.'
She heard him breathe a heavy sigh and withdraw, murmuring something
about his bad luck in being cut away from the starn like this.
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