iven to Hugh Stanbury. She had been bold enough to tell
that other suitor that it was so, though she had not mentioned the
rival's name. She had longed for some expression of love from this
man when they had been at Nuncombe together, and had been fiercely
angry with him because no such expression had come from him. Day
after day, since she had been with her aunt, she had told herself
that she was a broken-hearted woman, because she had given away all
that she had to give and had received nothing in return. Had he said
a word that might have given her hope, how happy could she have been
in hoping. Now he had come to her with a plain-spoken offer, telling
her that he loved her, and asking her to be his wife,--and she was
altogether unable to answer. How could she consent to be his wife,
knowing as she did that there was no certainty of an income on which
they could live? How could she tell her father and mother that she
had engaged herself to marry a man who might or might not make L400 a
year, and who already had a mother and sister depending on him?

In truth, had he come more gently to her, his chance of a happy
answer,--of an answer which might be found to have in it something
of happiness,--would have been greater. He might have said a word
which she could not but have answered softly;--and then from that
constrained softness other gentleness would have followed, and so
he would have won her in spite of her discretion. She would have
surrendered gradually, accepting on the score of her great love all
the penalties of a long and precarious engagement. But when she
was asked to come and be his wife, now and at once, she felt that
in spite of her love it was impossible that she could accede to a
request so sudden, so violent, so monstrous. He stood over her as
though expecting an instant answer; and then, when she had sat dumb
before him for a minute, he repeated his demand. "Tell me, Nora, can
you love me? If you knew how thoroughly I have loved you, you would
at least feel something for me."

To tell him that she did not love him was impossible to her. But how
was she to refuse him without telling him either a lie, or the truth?
Some answer she must give him; and as to that matter of marrying him,
the answer must be a negative. Her education had been of that nature
which teaches girls to believe that it is a crime to marry a man
without an assured income. Assured morality in a husband is a great
thing. Assured good