It is but fair to Tregear to say that this last decision
originated with the lady. He had told her that he certainly would
hold himself engaged to marry her at some future time; but she had
thrown this aside at once. How was it possible, she said, that two
such beings, brought up in luxury, and taught to enjoy all the
good things of the world, should expect to live and be happy
together without an income? He offered to go to the bar;--but she
asked him whether he thought it well that such a one as she should
wait say a dozen years for such a process. 'When the time comes, I
should be an old woman and you would be a wretched man.' She
released him,--declared her own purpose of marrying well; and then,
though there had been a moment in which her own assurance of her
own love had been passionate enough, she went so far as to tell
him that she was heartwhole. 'We have been two foolish children
but we cannot be children any longer,' she said. 'There must be an
end of it.'
What had hitherto been the result of this the reader knows,--and
Tregear knew also.
Pages:
1007
1008
1009
1010
1011
1012
1013
1014
1015
1016
1017
1018
1019
1020
1021
1022
1023
1024
1025
1026
1027
1028
1029
1030
1031