at however chance might control the worldly prosperity of each one,
the will and strength to shape his own destiny, for good or evil, are
still left to him unimpaired. Away, then, with all thoughts of the past.
In her heart there could be but one affection, and to her life there
could be but the one course of duty, and in that she would steadfastly
walk.

Strengthened, therefore, with the well-assured belief that the impulsive
affection of her youth had become gradually tempered by lapse of years
into a chaste and sisterly friendship, and that the pleasant memories
which clustered about her heart and made her look back half regretfully
upon those former days would be cherished only as the mere innocent
relics of a girlish romance, she felt no fear that her faith could be
led to depart from its lawful allegiance. But aside from all this, there
lurked within her breast an uneasy sense of being the holder of a great
secret which, in the end, would surely crush her, unless she could share
its burden with another. In this desire for confidence, at least, there
could be no harm; and her mind rapidly ran over the array of her few
friends. For the first time in her life, perhaps, her isolation from
close and unfettered companionship with others was forced upon her
attention, and her soul grew faint as she thought upon her dependence
upon herself alone for comfort or advice. To whom, indeed, could she
venture to pour out her heart? Not to her father, who, with unreasoning
ignorance and little charity, would coarsely form base conclusions about
her, and would most likely endeavor to solve the problem by cruelty to
the unfortunate slave who had so unwittingly originated it. Not to any
of those matrons of whom her rank made her the associate; and who, after
gaining her confidence, would either betray it to others, or else,
wrongly misconstruing her, and fancying her to be influenced by scruples
which they might not have felt, would scarcely fail to ridicule and cast
disdain upon all the most tender emotions of her heart. And above all
others, not to her husband, to whom, if she dared, she would have wished
to reveal everything, but who had, she feared, at the bottom of his
soul, a jealous and suspicious nature, which would be sure to take
alarm, and cause him to look upon her story, not as a generous
confidence bestowed in the hope of comfort and assistance, but rather
as a cunningly devised cover for some unconfessed scheme of wron