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left him by the sofa, I with my back to him in front of the fire. Then he came over to me and stood very near and said in a low strange voice:

"Are you sorry to be going away?"

I was terribly moved though I didn't care a bit, and I was terribly surprised. His emotion was so genuine, and he had so apparently made up his mind [[underline]] not [[/underline]] to speak.

I said something about being sorry, that it was always hard to leave your friends, but I was careful to be only kind. He interrupted me by saying "Good bye" again and putting out his hand. Of course I had to
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give him mine and look into his face. Oh my. After all he was a man and not a boy as I had always considered him. He dragged himself away, started, turned, went again, then came to a stop. I turned to the fire again. I knew it was better for him to go. Still he stood, I knew it though my back was turned. It lay with me as to how the scene was to end. At last he went. I thought he had gone entirely when his voice came from just behind the screne. Such a strange altered voice it was (I do not exaggerate)

"Please say Good bye to Mrs