. He had not
given her a chance; he had not replied to her letter written with the
pen dipped in her heart's blood; he must have gone straight away to
the woman he married. This after almost justifying the scandalous
world:--after ... She realized her sensations of that night when
the house-door had closed on him; her feeling of lost sovereignty,
degradation, feminine danger, friendliness: and she was unaware, and
never knew, nor did the world ever know, what cunning had inspired the
frosty Cupid to return to her and be warmed by striking a bargain for
his weighty secret. She knew too well that she was not of the snows
which do not melt, however high her conceit of herself might place her.
Happily she now stood out of the sun, in a bracing temperature, Polar;
and her compassion for women was deeply sisterly in tenderness and
understanding. She spoke of it to Emma as her gain.

'I have not seen that you required to suffer to be considerate,' Emma
said.

'It is on my conscience that I neglected Mary Paynham, among others--and
because you did not take to her, Emmy.'

'The reading of it appears to me, that she has neglected you.'

'She was not in my confidence, and so I construe it as delicacy. One
never loses by believing the best.'

'If one is not duped.'

'Expectations dupe us, not trust. The light of every soul burns upward.
Of course, most of them are candles in the wind. Let us allow for
atmospheric disturbance. Now I thank you, dear, for bringing me back to
life. I see that I was really a selfish suicide, because I feel I have
power to do some good, and belong to the army. When we are beginning to
reflect, as I do now, on a recovered basis of pure health, we have the
world at the dawn and know we are young in it, with great riches, great
things gained and greater to achieve. Personally I behold a queer little
wriggling worm for myself; but as one, of the active world I stand high
and shapely; and the very thought of doing work, is like a draught of
the desert-springs to me. Instead of which, I have once more to go about
presenting my face to vindicate my character. Mr. Redworth would admit
no irony in that! At all events, it is anti-climax.'

'I forgot to tell you, Tony, you have been proposed for,' said Emma; and
there was a rush of savage colour over Tony's cheeks.

Her apparent apprehensions were relieved by hearing the name of Mr.
Sullivan Smith.

'My poor dear countryman! And he thought me worthy, did