"I remember quite well what I said, and so do you: I said that I loved you. I also said that I had intended to ask you to marry me as soon as you ceased to be one of my pupils. Well, the results of Finals were officially announced three days ago.
"Oh, I suppose I always knew what the answer would be, but I didn"t want to spend the rest of my life wondering, because I never had the guts to ask you.
"You don"t dislike me as you used to--you"ve forgiven me for making you come to Russett--but you still think I"m a cold-blooded manipulator of other people"s minds and emotions. So I am; it"s part of the job.
"You"re quite right to distrust me for that, though. It is the danger of this profession, that we end up by looking on everybody and everything as a subject for manipulation. Even in our personal lives.
I always knew that: I didn"t begin to be afraid of it until I realized I was in love with you.
"I could have made you love me, Lizzie. I could! I didn"t try. Not that I didn"t want love on those terms, or any terms. But to use professional ... tricks ... in private life, ends by destroying all reality. I always treated you exactly as I treated my other students--I think. But I could have made you think you loved me ...
even if I am twice your age--"
This I cannot let pa.s.s, I say "Hi! According to College rumor you cannot be more than thirty-six; I"m twenty-three."
M"Clare says in a bemused sort of way He will be thirty-seven in a couple of months.
I say, "I will be twenty-four next week and your arithmetic is still screwy; and here is another datum you got wrong. I do love you. Very much."
He says, "Golden Liz."
Then other things which I remember all right, I shall keep them to remember any time I am tired, sick, cold, hungry Hundred-and-ninety--; but they are not for writing down.
Then I suppose at some point we agreed it is time for me to go, because I find myself outside the cabin and there is Colonel Delano-Smith.
He makes me a small speech about various matters ending that he hears he has to congratulate me.
Huh?
Oh, s.p.a.ce and Time did one of those unimitigated so-and-sos, my dear cla.s.smates, leave M"Clare"s communicator on?
The colonel says he heard I did very well in my Examinations.
Sweet splitting photons I forgot all about Finals.
It is just as well my Education has come to an honorable end, because ...
well, shades of ... well, Goodness gracious and likewise Dear me, I am going to marry a _Professor_.
Better just stick to it I am going to marry M"Clare, it makes better sense that way.
But Gosh we are going to have to do some re-adjusting to a changed Environment. Both of us.
Oh, well, M"Clare is a Professor of Cultural Engineering and I just past my Final Exams in same; surely if anyone can we should be able to work out how you live Happily Ever After?