he would
himself write to Roger. 'Hetta, do you know, I doubt whether he will
ever speak to me again.'

'I cannot believe that.'

'There is a sternness about him which it is very hard to understand.
He has taught himself to think that as I met you in his house, and as
he then wished you to be his wife, I should not have ventured to love
you. How could I have known?'

'That would be unreasonable.'

'He is unreasonable--about that. It is not reason with him. He always
goes by his feelings. Had you been engaged to him--'

'Oh, then, you never could have spoken to me like this.'

'But he will never look at it in that way;--and he will tell me that
I have been untrue to him and ungrateful.'

'If you think, Paul--'

'Nay; listen to me. If it be so I must bear it. It will be a great
sorrow, but it will be as nothing to that other sorrow, had that come
upon me. I will write to him, and his answer will be all scorn and
wrath. Then you must write to him afterwards. I think he will forgive
you, but he will never forgive me.' Then they parted, she having
promised that she would tell her mother directly Lady Carbury came
home, and Paul undertaking to write to Roger that evening.

And he did, with infinite difficulty, and much trembling of the
spirit. Here is his letter:--

MY DEAR ROGER,--

I think it right to tell you at once what has occurred to-day. I
have proposed to Miss Carbury and she has accepted me. You have
long known what my feelings were, and I have also known yours. I
have known, too, that Miss Carbury has more than once declined
to take your offer. Under these circumstances I cannot think
that I have been untrue to friendship in what I have done, or
that I have proved myself ungrateful for the affectionate
kindness which you have always shown me. I am authorised by
Hetta to say that, had I never spoken to her, it must have been
the same to you. [This was hardly a fair representation of what
had been said, but the writer, looking back upon his interview
with the lady, thought that it had been implied.]

I should not say so much by way of excusing myself, but that you
once said, that should such a thing occur there must be a
division between us ever after. If I thought that you would
adhere to that threat, I should be very unhappy and Hetta would
be miserable. Surely, if a man loves he is bound to tell his
love, and to take the chance. You would