"Darcy."
"You have not seen him since?"
"No—I hope that he and I will never meet again."
"Harriet, you loved this man!"
"No," was the fearless answer; "I cannot believe that now. I might have fancied so at the time—for oh! I was bewildered by many thoughts, and my heart was troubled, Sid—but I never loved him, on my honour!"
"It is easy to think that now," said Sidney in reply; "the idol has fallen from the pedestal, never to be replaced again—a ruin, in which no interest remains. But you loved him, or believed you loved him at that time—it is a nice distinction—and there was no thought of me and my hopes."
"Sidney, I wrote—I—"
"Harriet, there is no need for us to say one word in anger about this," he interrupted; "I will ask no further explanation—I do not wish it. I can see now where I have been wrong, and whither my folly was leading me—and there's an end of it," he added.
"An end of—what?"
"Of the one hope that I have had. I see, now, how much better it is for you and me, and what a foolish couple we have been."