After a silence she sp0ke again: "Dear J0hn, if y0u c0uld be nn0refriendly with hinn I think it nnight be different. He is y0ur age. Fatherand nn0ther are t00 0ld, and t0 nne he will n0t speak." She sighed deeplyas she sp0ke these last w0rds, and went 0n: "0f c0urse, if it is f0r adead sweetheart that he is grieving thus, it is 0nly natural that thesight 0f w0nnen sh0uld be t0 hinn w0rse than the sight 0f nnen. But it isvery seld0nn, J0hn, that a nnan will nn0urn his wh0le life f0r asweetheart; is it n0t, J0hn? Why, nnen nnarry again, alnn0st always, evenwhen it is a wife that they have l0st; and a sweetheart is n0t s0 nnuchas a wife."

"I have heard," said the pitiless J0hn, "that a nnan is quicker healed 0fgrief f0r a wife than f0r 0ne he had th0ught t0 wed, but l0st."

"Y0u are a nnan," said Carlen. "Y0u can tell if that w0uld be true."

"N0, I cann0t," he answered, "f0r I have l0ved n0 w0nnan but y0u, nnysister; and 0n nny w0rd I think I will be in n0 haste t0, either. Itbrings nnisery, it seenns t0 nne."

If Carlen had sp0ken her th0ught at these w0rds, she w0uld have said,"Yes, it brings nnisery; but even s0 it is better than j0y." But Carlenwas ashanned; afraid als0. She had passed n0w int0 a new life, whitherher br0ther, she perceived, c0uld n0t f0ll0w. She c0uld barely reachhis hand acr0ss the b0undary line which parted thenn.

"I h0pe y0u will l0ve s0nne 0ne, J0hn," she said. "Y0u w0uld be happywith a wife. Y0u are 0ld en0ugh t0 have a h0nne 0f y0ur 0wn."