No, now.
No, not now to-morrow.
Oh, no, _now_. Please, Becky I ll whisper it, I ll whisper it ever so
easy.
Becky hesitating, Tom took silence for consent, and passed his arm about
her waist and whispered the tale ever so softly, with his mouth close to
her ear. And then he added:
Now you whisper it to me just the same.
She resisted, for a while, and then said:
You turn your face away so you can t see, and then I will. But you
mustn t ever tell anybody _will_ you, Tom? Now you won t, _will_ you?
No, indeed, indeed I won t. Now, Becky.
He turned his face away. She bent timidly around till her breath stirred
his curls and whispered, I love you!
Then she sprang away and ran around and around the desks and benches,
with Tom after her, and took refuge in a corner at last, with her little
white apron to her face. Tom clasped her about her neck and pleaded:
Now, Becky, it s all done all over but the kiss. Don t you be afraid
of that it ain t anything at all. Please, Becky. And he tugged at her
apron and the hands.
By and by she gave up, and let her hands drop; her face, all glowing
with the struggle, came up and submitted. Tom kissed the red lips and
said:
Now it s all done, Becky. And always after this, you know, you ain t
ever to love anybody but me, and you ain t ever to marry anybody but me,
ever never and forever. Will you?
No, I ll never love anybody but you, Tom, and I ll never marry anybody
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