"Angelina," he repeated, "I have a declaration to make."
"As from what date?" she questioned quietly. Edwin drew
his watch from his pocket.
"As from this morning, at ten-forty-six," he said. Then,
emboldened by her passive attitude, he continued with
rising passion in his tone.
"Ever since I first met you I have felt that I could not
live without you. I am a changed man. My calibre is
altered. I feel ten centimeters wider in the mouth than
I did six weeks ago. I feel that my path is altered. I
have a new range and an angle of elevation such as I
never experienced before. I have hidden my love as best
I could till now. I have worn a moral gas-mask before
your family. I can do so no longer. Angelina, will you
be mine, forming with me a single unit, drawing our
rations from the same field kitchen and occupying the
same divisional headquarters?"
The girl seemed to hesitate. She raised her eyes to his.
"We know one another so little," she murmured.
Edwin felt that his offensive was failing. He therefore
hastened to bring up his means of support.
"I have an ample income of my own," he pleaded.
Angelina raised her eyes again. It was evident that she
was about to surrender.
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