"We have each of us to fulfill our fates," he said. "I suppose we each
deserve what we receive, and I am so glad yours seems to be such a very
happy one."
Then he made some excuse to get up and leave her--he could bear no more.
And Cora, left alone, smiled sadly to herself while she reflected what a
foolish thing pride was, and all the other shams which robbed life of
the only thing really worth having.
"Well, I should not let any of that nonsense ever stand between Freynie
and me, thank goodness!" she concluded.
But John Derringham limped off to the bows of the ship, quivering with
pain. So Halcyone had spoken of his engagement and said he was "clever
and great." What could it all mean? Did he no longer interest her
then--even at that period? This stung him deeply. There was no light
anywhere. When once he had grasped the full significance of his own
conduct he was much too fine an intelligence to deceive himself, or
persuade himself to see any other aspect but the hopeless one, that the
entire chain of events was the result of his own action. But surely
there must be some way out? If he wrote straight to Cecilia and told her
the truth? And then he almost laughed bitterly as he realized the
futility of this plan.
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