“Woe be unto him!”
She who had been so gay and careless before, had become a changed girl since the affair of George Merrington. And when she remembered Florian’s devotion, and the cruel wound she was going to give his heart, she recalled with dismay her father’s words:
“A man’s heart is not simply a toy!”
Viola had always thought so till then, and now she was afraid of the consequences of her coquetry.
It dawned on her that Florian might possibly be very angry at her fickleness, perhaps seek revenge.
What if he should hasten home and denounce her, like George Merrington, for her fault? What if he should betray her to Professor Desha? She trembled at the very thought.
“I should lose him forever! He would sacrifice me to his high ideal of honor! And I can not give him up, he was too hard to win!” she sighed, recalling all her pangs at Desha’s coldness.
She became afraid to write the truth to Florian, but she replied to his fond love letters in the briefest, coldest fashion, hoping he would understand that her love was dead, and himself hasten in anger to release her from her promise.
So matters stood when Desha reminded her of her promise to let him announce their engagement, his manly pride chafing against the society chatter about their flirtation.
Viola’s sweet promises set all his fears at rest, and he hastened to avail himself of her permission to speak to her father.