ess of his recent letters to
her, made it all too plain that the ardent flame of his love had
burned out, and that he had repented his impetuosity, now that he had
had time to think of the sacrifice which it entailed.

This was indeed great for a man in his position, ambitious in his
career, and with his foot already on the ladder that led to success.
She even began to doubt whether he would have fulfilled his
obligations to her when it came to the point.

She got out his letters and read them over. How passionately loving
were the early ones--how cool and constrained the more recent! The
contrast struck her far more now in the light of recent events. It
really seemed as if he might be trying to get out of the engagement.

At this thought pride came to her rescue. She felt herself grow hard
and cold, and her composure returned completely. She would never let
him know what she had heard, for that might make it seem as if she
gave him up from compulsion. She sat down and wrote quickly a few
formal sentences, saying that she had mistaken her own feelings, and
that she wished to break the engagement. She added that she was
returning immediately to America, as indeed she was intending to do
at the time of the writing of this letter.

After it had gone, and was on its way to St. Petersburg, a mental
condition of such abject misery settled down upon her that the
thought of the endless days and nights of idle monotony which would
be her lot if she returned home, and the awful void of her mother's
absence, became intolerable. She could not do it. She must find some
way of escape from such a fate.

Just as she was casting about for such a way, Lord Hurdly came to
see her. The escape which he offered had in it many elements of the
strongest attractiveness for her. Since she could not be happy, as
she believed, why might she not get from life the satisfaction which
comes from the holding of a great position, the opportunity of being
admired and wielding a powerful influence? It was a prospect which
had always charmed her; and now, with no alternative but lonely
isolation and bitter weariness, was it strange that she decided to
accept Lord Hurdly's offer?

And if it was to be, what need was there to wait? Wounded in her
pride as she was by the revelation of Horace which she had received,
she relished the idea of becoming at once what he had proposed to
make her--and afterward repented of. She was fully convinced in her
mind