"Any one with common sense might see that Esther's engagement never could come to any thing."
"But you are trying to hold her to it."
"I am trying to do no such thing. I expect Esther to dismiss him; then she will need some change of scene, and I mean to take her away."
"To-day?" asked Strong in alarm.
"To-day or to-morrow! Sooner or later! We have got to be ready for it at any moment. Now do you understand?"
"I think I am beginning to catch on," replied Strong with a grave face.
"I wish I were out of the scrape."
"I told you never to get into it," rejoined his aunt.
"Poor Hazard!" muttered George, wondering whether he could do anything to ward off this last blow from his friend.
Even as he spoke, the crisis was at hand. Mrs. Murray's calculations were exact. While Hazard had been arranging with Strong the plan for getting Esther away from New York, letting the engagement remain private, Esther, in a state of feverish restlessness was wearying Catherine with endless discussion of her trouble. Even Catherine felt that, one way or the other, it was time for this thing to stop. Esther had passed the stage of self-submission, and was in a mutinous mood. She had given up the effort to reconcile herself with her situation, and yet could talk of nothing but Hazard, until Catherine's good-nature was sorely tried.
"I never was such a bore till now," said Esther at length, as though she could not at all understand it. "I could sometimes be quite pleasant. I used to go about the house singing and laughing. Am I going mad?"