ng to Gray's Village to-morrow. I shall close up my business,
and go away somewhere, though I would much rather stay here and live down
my disgrace. I shall remember your kindness with a full heart, and if I
can ever serve you, all I have shall be yours--I would be wholly yours
now, if I could offer myself without dishonoring you, and you would
accept me. Good-by, and may God bless you.

"Your most grateful friend, ALBERT CHARLTON."

The words about offering himself, in the next to the last sentence,
Albert wrote with hesitation, and then concluded that he would better
erase them, as he did not mean to give any place to his feelings. He drew
his pen through them, taking pains to leave the sentence entirely legible
beneath the canceling stroke. Such tricks does inclination play with the
sternest resolves!

CHAPTER XXXVII.

THE LAST.

The letter was deposited at the post-office immediately. Charlton did not
dare give his self-denying resolution time to cool.

Isa was not looking for letters, and Mrs. Ferret ventured to hint that
the chance of meeting somebody on the street had something to do with her
walk. Of course Miss Marlay was insulted. No woman would ever do such a
thing. Consciously, at least.

And after reading Charlton's letter, what did Isa do? What could she do?
A woman may not move in such a case. Her whole future happiness may drift
to wreck by somebody's mistake, and she may not reach a hand to arrest
it. What she does must be done by indirection and under disguise. It is a
way society has of training women to be candid.

The first feeling which Isa had was a sudden shock of surprise. She was
not so much astonished at the revelation of Charlton's feeling as at the
discovery of her own. With Albert's abrupt going away, all her heart and
hope seemed to be going too. She had believed her interest in Charlton to
be disinterested until this moment. It was not until he proposed going
away entirely that she came to understand how completely that interest
had changed its character.

But what could she do? Nothing at all. She was a woman.

As evening drew on, Charlton felt more and more the bitterness of the
self-denial he had imposed upon himself. He inwardly abused Mrs. Ferret
for meddling. He began to hope for all sorts of impossible accidents that
might release him from his duty in the case. Just after dark he walked
out. Of course he did not want to meet Miss Marlay--his mind was made
up--he