When Stephen was a little boy his mother would bring him here when she came to see my mother ; and the second time he ever came ... he was nine and I was six ... he told me out in the garden that he had pretty well made up his mind to marry me when he grew up . I remember that I said ` Thank you ' ; and when he was gone I told mother very gravely that there was a great weight off my mind , because I was n't frightened any more about having to be an old maid . How poor mother laughed ! '' `` And what went wrong ? '' asked Anne breathlessly . `` We had just a stupid , silly , commonplace quarrel . So commonplace that , if you 'll believe me , I do n't even remember just how it began . I hardly know who was the more to blame for it . Stephen did really begin it , but I suppose I provoked him by some foolishness of mine . He had a rival or two , you see . I was vain and coquettish and liked to tease him a little . He was a very high-strung , sensitive fellow . Well , we parted in a temper on both sides . But I thought it would all come right ; and it would have if Stephen had n't come back too soon . Anne , my dear , I 'm sorry to say '' ... Miss Lavendar dropped her voice as if she were about to confess a predilection for murdering people , `` that I am a dreadfully sulky person . Oh , you need n't smile , ... it 's only too true . I DO sulk ; and Stephen came back before I had finished sulking . I would n't listen to him and I would n't forgive him ; and so he went away for good . He was too proud to come again . And then I sulked because he did n't come .
I might have sent for him perhaps , but I could n't humble myself XXXXX do that .
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