"That depends on circumstances," he replied. "If I do, may I be permitted to visit you?"
"As a friend--yes," said Mara; "I shall always be happy to see you."
"I had hoped," he said, "that you would reconsider."
"It is impossible," said she; and soft voices can pronounce that word, _impossible_, in a very fateful and decisive manner.
"Well, God bless you, then, Miss Lincoln," he said, and was gone.
Mara stood in the doorway and saw him loosen his boat from its moorings and float off in the moonlight, with a long train of silver sparkles behind.
A moment after Moses was looking gloomily over her shoulder.
"He is not a puppy, but a very fine young man," said Mara.
"I thought I told you. He is a Mr. Adams of Boston, and a distant connection of the Sewells. I met him when I was visiting at Judge Sewell's in Boston."
"You seemed to be having a very pleasant time together?"
"It's a pity I came home as I did. I'm sorry I interrupted you," said Moses, with a sarcastic laugh.
"You didn't interrupt us; he had been here almost two hours."
Now Mara saw plainly enough that Moses was displeased and hurt, and had it been in the days of her fourteenth summer, she would have thrown her arms around his neck, and said, "Moses, I don't care a fig for that man, and I love you better than all the world." But this the young lady of eighteen would not do; so she wished him good-night very prettily, and pretended not to see anything about it.
Mara was as near being a saint as human dust ever is; but--she was a woman saint; and therefore may be excused for a little gentle vindictiveness. She was, in a merciful way, rather glad that Moses had gone to bed dissatisfied, and rather glad that he did not know what she might have told him--quite resolved that he should not know at present. Was he to know that she liked nobody so much as him? Not he, unless he loved her more than all the world, and said so first. Mara was resolved upon that. He might go where he liked--flirt with whom he liked--come back as late as he pleased; never would she, by word or look, give him reason to think she cared.
Moses passed rather a restless and uneasy night on his return to the home-roof which had sheltered his childhood. All his life past, and all his life expected, seemed to boil and seethe and ferment in his thoughts, and to go round and round in never-ceasing circles before him.