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from her family now. But from the point of view of present complications--the search Butler
would make--it might be dangerous. He might even publicly charge him with abduction. He
therefore decided to persuade Aileen to stay at home, drop meetings and communications for
the time being, and even go abroad. He would be all right until she came back and so would
she--common sense ought to rule in this case.
With all this in mind he set out to keep the appointment she suggested in her letter,
nevertheless feeling it a little dangerous to do so.
"Are you sure," he asked, after he had listened to her description of the Calligan homestead,
"that you would like it there? It sounds rather poor to me."
"Yes, but I like them so much," replied Aileen.
"And you're sure they won't tell on you?"
"Oh, no; never, never!"
"Very well," he concluded. "You know what you're doing. I don't want to advise you against your
will. If I were you, though, I'd take your father's advice and go away for a while. He'll get over
this then, and I'll still be here. I can write you occasionally, and you can write me."
The moment Cowperwood said this Aileen's brow clouded. Her love for him was so great that
there was something like a knife thrust in the merest hint at an extended separation. Her Frank
here and in trouble--on trial maybe and she away! Never! What could he mean by suggesting
such a thing? Could it be that he didn't care for her as much as she did for him? Did he really
love her? she asked herself. Was he going to desert her just when she was going to do the
thing which would bring them nearer together? Her eyes clouded, for she was terribly hurt.
"Why, how you talk!" she exclaimed. "You know I won't leave Philadelphia now. You certainly
don't expect me to leave you."
Cowperwood saw it all very clearly. He was too shrewd not to. He was immensely fond of her.
Good heaven, he thought, he would not hurt her feelings for the world!
"Honey," he said, quickly, when he saw her eyes, "you don't understand. I want you to do what
you want to do. You've planned this out in order to be with me; so now you do it. Don't think any
more about me or anything I've said. I was merely thinking that it might make matters worse for
both of us; but I don't believe it will. You think your father loves you so much that after you're
gone he'll change his mind. Very good; go. But we must be very careful, sweet--you and I--really
we must. This thing is getting serious. If you should go and your father should charge me with
abduction--take the public into his confidence and tell all about this, it would be serious for both
of us--as much for you as for me, for I'd be convicted sure then, just on that account, if nothing
else. And then what? You'd better not try to see me often for the present--not any oftener than
we can possibly help. If we had used common sense and stopped when your father got that
letter, this wouldn't have happened. But now that it has happened, we must be as wise as we
can, don't you see? So, think it over, and do what you think best and then write me and
whatever you do will be all right with me--do you hear?" He drew her to him and kissed her.
"You haven't any money, have you?" he concluded wisely.
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