That had been womanly and
he could forgive it. He had his other great and solid happiness to
support him. Then he had believed that she would soon marry, if
not Silverbridge, then some other fitting young nobleman, and that
all would be well. But now things were very far from well. The
storm which was now howling round her afflicted her much.
Perhaps the bitterest feeling of all was that her love should have
been so much stronger, so much more enduring than his own. He
could not but remember how in his first agony he had blamed her
because she had declared that they should be severed. He had then
told himself that such severing would be to him impossible, and
that her nature been as high as his, it would have been as
impossible to her. Which nature must he now regard as the higher?
She had done her best to rid herself of the load of her passion
and had failed. But he had freed himself with convenient haste.
All that he had said as the manliness of conquering grief had been
wise enough. But still he could not quit himself of some feeling
of disgrace in that he had changed and she had not.
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