“I know it hurts, dear; I know it does. But men and women must learn to bear hurts in this world.”
“Not hurts like this; they couldn’t.”
“Yes, even hurts like this. Bear and stand straight; be brave. After all, Zora, no man is quite worth a woman’s soul; no love is worth a whole life.”
Zora turned away with a gesture of impatience.
‚ÄúYou were born in ice,‚Äù she retorted, adding a bit more tenderly, ‚Äúin clear strong ice; but I was born in fire. I live‚ÅÝ‚ÄîI love; that‚Äôs all.‚Äù And she sat down again, despairingly, and stared at the dull swamp. Miss Smith stood for a moment and closed her eyes upon a vision.
“Ice!” she whispered. “My God!”
Then, at length, she said to Zora:
“Zora, there’s only one way: do something; if you sit thus brooding you’ll go crazy.”
“Do crazy folks forget?”
“Nonsense, Zora!” Miss Smith ridiculed the girl’s fantastic vagaries; her sound common sense rallied to her aid. “They are the people who remember; sane folk forget. Work is the only cure for such pain.”
‚ÄúBut there‚Äôs nothing to do‚ÅÝ‚Äînothing I want to do‚ÅÝ‚Äînothing worth doing‚ÅÝ‚Äînow.‚Äù
“The Silver Fleece?”
The girl sat upright.