h an
introspective gaze more searching than ever before. He felt that he had
been, above the average, blessed with happy relationships, deep
friendships and a highly trained ability to serve others--and he knew
that he could honestly say that he had turned this to full account.

Besides, he was betrothed to a beautiful woman whom many coveted. When
his mind reached Marion Treville in its consideration, it stopped to
build a dream castle around her, a castle not in Spain, but in America.
He had earned the right to rest beside the road awhile, and enjoy the
good things of life. Marion was waiting for him at home, and whatever
doubts had, at one or another time, entered his mind as to their
perfect suitability, one for the other, they had long since been
banished. Distance had lent its enchantment, and he had supplied her
with the special virtues that he desired. His was a type of mind which
held to one thought at a time, and he had always possessed a fixedness
of purpose of a kind well calculated to carry through any plan which
that mind conceived. Combined, these characteristics made a form of
egotism, not one which caused him to overrate himself, but to plough
ahead regardless of the strength of the possible opposition. When he
returned to America he would marry Marion Treville immediately. No other
idea had seriously entered his mind since they had plighted their troth;
they had not been quite ready before, that was all, he told himself.

It was in such a frame of mind, and with a growing eagerness for the day
when he might start for home to claim his reward, that he received her
long-delayed letter. What it said does not matter; but one paragraph
summed up her whole confession. "You cannot but agree with me that ours
was never the love of a man and woman whose hearts were attuned to one
another, and sang in perfect unison. We really drifted into an
engagement more because of propinquity than anything else. I am a
drone--the product of society at its worst--and you are one of the
workers, Donald. I feel quite sure that you will always gain your truest
happiness in your work. Although I know how you love children (and I
don't), I cannot think of you in the role of a married man, so I do
not, deep in my heart, believe that this is going to hurt you very
much--certainly I hope not. Indeed, I have a somewhat unpleasant
suspicion that some day you are going to bless me for having given you
back your freedom."

Donald rea