rt weakened, the more serious question that Dove had
to face was, what he was going to tell his relatives at home. For it
now came out that he had represented the affair to them as settled; in
his perfectly sincere optimism, he had regarded himself as an all but
engaged man. And the point that disturbed him was, how to back out with
dignity, yet without violating the truth, on which he set great store.

"I'm sure he needn't let that trouble him," said Madeleine, on hearing
of his dilemma. "He has only to say that HE has changed his mind, which
is true enough."

This was the conclusion Dove eventually came to himself--though not
with such unseemly haste as Madeleine. Having approached the matter
from all sides, he argued that it would be more considerate to Ephie to
put it in this light than to tell the story in detail. And
consequently, two elderly people in Peterborough nodded to each other
one morning over the breakfast-table, and agreed that Edward had done
well. They had not been much in favour of the American match, but they
had trusted implicitly in their son's good sense, and now, as ever, he
had acted in the most becoming way. He had never given them an hour's
uneasiness since his birth.

Dove wrote:

CIRCUMSTANCES HAVE ARISEN, MY DEAR PARENTS, WHICH MAKE IT
INCONTROVERTIBLY CLEAR TO ME THAT THE YOUNG LADY TO WHOM I WAS PAYING
MY ADDRESSES WHEN I CONSULTED YOU IN SUMMER AND MYSELF WOULD NOT HAVE
KNOWN TRUE HAPPINESS IN OUR UNION. ON MORE INTIMATE ACQUAINTANCE IT
TRANSPIRED THAT OUR CHARACTERS WERE TOTALLY UNSUITED. I HAVE THEREFORE
FOUND IT ADVISABLE TO BANISH THE AFFAIR FROM MY MIND AND TO DEVOTE
MYSELF WHOLLY TO MY STUDIES.

As time passed, and Dove was able to view what had happened more
objectively, he began to feel and even to hint that, all things
considered, he had had a rather lucky escape; and from this, it was not
very far to believing that if he had not just seen through the whole
affair from the beginning, he had at any rate had some inkling of it;
and now, instead of giving proofs of Ephie's affection, he narrated the
gradual growth of his suspicions, and how these had ultimately been
verified. In conclusion, he congratulated himself on having drawn back,
with open eyes, while there was still time.

"Like his cheek!" said Madeleine. "But he could imagine himself into
being the Shah of Persia, if he sat down and gave his mind to it. I
don't believe the snub is going to do him a bit of good. He