arm words of love as he had done. To
ask, or to give, in a matter of love must surely, she thought, be
easy enough. But to have given and then to refuse--that was the
difficulty. There was so much to say of moment both to herself
and to him, or rather so much to signify, that it was not at one
sitting, or with a single copy, that this letter could be written.
He must be assured, no doubt, of her love; but he must be made to
understand,--quite to understand, that her love could be of no avail
to him. And how was she to obey him as to her mode of addressing him?
"It simply excruciates me from you," he had said, thus debarring her
from that only appellation which would certainly be the easiest, and
which seemed to her the only one becoming. At last the letter, when
written, ran as follows;--

How I am to begin my letter I do not know, as you have
forbidden me to use the only words which would come
naturally. But I love you too well to displease you in so
small a matter. My poor letter must therefore go to you
without any such beginning as is usual. Indeed, I love you
with all my heart. I told you that before, and I will not
shame myself by saying that it was untrue. But I told you
also before that I could not be your wife. Dearest love,
I can only say again what I said before. Dearly as I love
you I cannot become your wife. You bid me to think of it
all, and to ask myself whether it is in my heart to refuse
to bid you to be happy. It is not in my heart to let you
do that which certainly would make you unhappy.

There are two reasons for this. Of the first, though it is
quite sufficient, I know that you will make nothing. When
I tell you that you ought not to choose such a one as me
for your wife because my manners of life have not fitted
me for such a position, then you sometimes laugh at me,
and sometimes are half angry,--with that fine way you have
of commanding those that are about you. But not the less
am I sure that I am right. I do believe that of all human
beings poor Marion Fay is the dearest to you. When you
tell me of your love and your treasure I do not for a
moment doubt that it is all true. And were I to be your
wife, your honour and your honesty would force you to be
good to me. But when you found that I was not as are other
grand ladies, then I think you would be disappointed. I
should know it by every line of your dea