"I was. Well, I," he began, and then "You," and stopped, and then he began
again.
"I said that it would be--difficult--for me to explain matters to you
fully, Oliver; I find it to be--even more difficult than I had supposed.
I--it is rather hard for a man of my age to defend his manner of life to
one of your age, even when he himself is wholly convinced that that manner
is not---unrighteous. And in this particular case, to one of his son's best
friends."
He twisted his fingers around the rim of his glass. Oliver started to speak
but Mr. Piper put up his hand. "No--please--it will be so much easier if I
finish what I have to say first," he said rather pleadingly.
"Well--the situation here between Rose and myself--must be plain to you
now." Oliver nodded, he hoped in not too knowing a way. "Plain. How that
situation arose--is another matter. And a matter that would take a good
deal too long to tell. Except that, given the premises from which we set
forth--what followed was perhaps as inevitable as most things are in life.
"That situation has been known to no other person on earth but
ourselves--all these years.
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