what I said the other day, I was so miserable at your
accusation. But I suppose I said then, and I again declare now,
that I had made up my mind that circumstances would not admit of
her becoming my wife before I had ever seen you, and that I have
certainly never wavered in my determination since I saw you. I
can with safety refer to Roger as to this, because I was with
him when I so determined, and made up my mind very much at his
instance. This was before I had ever even met you.

If I understand it all right you are angry because I have
associated with Mrs Hurtle since I so determined. I am not going
back to my first acquaintance with her now. You may blame me for
that if you please,--though it cannot have been a fault against
you. But, after what had occurred, was I to refuse to see her
when she came to England to see me? I think that would have been
cowardly. Of course I went to her. And when she was all alone
here, without a single other friend and telling me that she was
unwell, and asking me to take her down to the seaside, was I to
refuse? I think that that would have been unkind. It was a
dreadful trouble to me. But of course I did it.

She asked me to renew my engagement. I am bound to tell you
that, but I know in telling you that it will go no farther. I
declined, telling her that it was my purpose to ask another
woman to be my wife. Of course there has been anger and
sorrow,--anger on her part and sorrow on mine. But there has
been no doubt. And at last she yielded. As far as she was
concerned my trouble was over except in so far that her
unhappiness has been a great trouble to me,--when, on a sudden,
I found that the story had reached you in such a form as to make
you determined to quarrel with me!

Of course you do not know it all, for I cannot tell you all
without telling her history. But you know everything that in the
least concerns yourself, and I do say that you have no cause
whatever for anger. I am writing at night. This evening your
brooch was brought to me with three or four cutting words from
your mother. But I cannot understand that if you really love me,
you should wish to separate yourself from me,--or that, if you
ever loved me, you should cease to love me now because of Mrs
Hurtle.

I am so absolutely confused by the blow that I hardly know what
I am writing, and ta