couple with hardly an idea outside their own
_erf_ and the covers of the family Bible. They were not likely to
bother her with inconvenient questions.

Poor Aletta! She had indeed gone through the fire since the day of that
horrible discovery. What a bright Paradise had she been living in--and
now? Her ideal vanished--her idol fallen and shattered--what more did
life hold out for her! Ah, to think of it, this man who had been to her
as a very god--who was not as other men--who had come into her life to
take possession of it, and to whom she had surrendered, a willing, happy
captive--for him to deceive her, to make her the victim of such a
commonplace, petty form of deception! Surely that discovery had killed
her love.

Why had he done it? It was so needless, so commonplace, so cruel! Why
had he left her to endure the agony of apprehension on his account for
days, for weeks--the while he was safe and sound within a few hours of
her, carrying on this intrigue? She would rather--infinitely rather--
that that agony had met with its worst and fatal fulfilment, that he had
been brought back to her dead. To think that he, her god, could stoop
_so_ low, could place himself in such a contemptible, pitiable light
before her. That look in his face as he met her glance--the startled
shame and consternation at being found out--that would haunt her to her
dying day.

Why had he ever professed love for herself? And having done so, why--if
he had found such profession premature--did he not say so openly? It
would have been a cruel insult; still she thought she could have borne
it better. She had never grudged May Wenlock her bright physical
attractions; indeed, she had recognised them openly and to the full.
She remembered how often they had laughed over old Tant' Plessis'
favourite saying as to May being the only English girl, and now she
concluded that the old lady was not such a fool as they had supposed.
Possibly nationality did count in the long run, though, where love was
the consideration, Aletta, for her part, could not understand how
nationality should make a hairsbreadth of difference. And, again, she
thought, she herself was not even decent-looking--well she remembered
how that statement had been received by him to whom it was addressed--
whereas this English girl was bounteously dowered by Nature with outward
attractiveness, and, after all, she supposed this was what weighed with
men. Well, she must get