l.

She did not pause to decide where she would go, or to reflect how she
could support herself. Were not all places alike away from the one she so
dearly loved? and as to support she had a little money, and would not be
likely to live long enough to need more.

Perhaps Edward would search for her from a sense of duty--she knew he was
very conscientious--but she would manage so that he would never be able to
find her; she would go under an assumed name; she would call herself Miss,
and no one would suspect her of being a married woman running away from
her husband. Ah, it was not altogether a disadvantage to be and look so
young!

And when she should find herself dying, or so near it that there would not
be time to send for Edward, she would tell some one who she really was,
and ask that a letter should be written to him telling of her death, so
that he would know he wus free to marry again.

Marry again! The thought of that shook her resolution for a moment. It was
torture to imagine the love and caresses that had been hers lavished upon
another woman.

But, perhaps, after his unhappy experience of married life, he would
choose to live single the rest of his days. He had his mother and sisters
to love, and could be happy without a wife.

Besides, she had read somewhere that though love was everything to a
woman, men were different and could do quite well without it.

She went into the dressing-room, turned up the night lamp, and looked at
her watch.

It was one o'clock. At two a stage passed northward along a road on the
farther side of Fairview. She could easily make her few preparations in
half an hour, walk to the nearest point on the route of the stage in time
to stop it and get in, then while journeying on, decide what her next step
should be.

She packed a hand-bag with such things as she deemed most essential,
arrayed herself in a plain, dark woollen dress, with hat, veil, and gloves
to match, threw a shawl over her arm, and was just turning to go, when a
thought struck her.

"I ought to leave a note, of course; they always do."

Sitting down at her writing-desk, she directed an envelope to her husband,
then wrote on a card:

"I am going away never to come back. Don't look for me, for it
will be quite useless, as I shall manage so that you can never
trace me. It breaks my heart to leave you, my dear dear
husband, for I love you better than life, but I know I have lost
your lov