"I will not be your brother! I
would rather die!"
"Felipe!" cried Ramona again. This time her voice recalled him to
himself. It was a voice of terror and of pain.
"Forgive me, my sweet one!" he exclaimed. "I will never say it
again. But I have loved you so long -- so long!"
Ramona's head had fallen forward on her breast, her eyes fixed on
the shining sands; the waves rose and fell, rose and fell, at her feet
gently as sighs. A great revelation had come to Ramona. In this
supreme moment of Felipe's abandonment of all disguises, she saw
his whole past life in a new light. Remorse smote her. "Dear
Felipe," she said, clasping her hands, "I have been very selfish. I
did not know --"
"Of course you did not, love," said Felipe. "How could you? But I
have never loved any one else. I have always loved you. Can you
not learn to love me? I did not mean to tell you for a long time yet.
But now I have spoken; I cannot hide it any more."
Ramona drew nearer to him, still with her hands clasped. "I have
always loved you," she said. "I love no other living man; but,
Felipe," -- her voice sank to a solemn whisper,-- "do you not know,
Felipe, that part of me is dead,-- dead? can never live again? You
could not want me for your wife, Felipe, when part of me is dead!"
Felipe threw his arms around her.
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