'Then you know why I must leave, Rose.'

'Leave? Leave me? On the contrary, you must stay by me, and support me.
Why, Evan, we have to fight a battle.'

Much as he worshipped her, this intrepid directness of soul startled him-
almost humbled him. And her eyes shone with a firm cheerful light, as
she exclaimed: 'It makes me so happy to think you were the first to
mention this. You meant to be, and that's the same thing. I heard it
this morning: you wrote it last night. It's you I love, Evan. Your
birth, and what you were obliged to do--that's nothing. Of course I'm
sorry for it, dear. But I'm more sorry for the pain I must have
sometimes put you to. It happened through my mother's father being a
merchant; and that side of the family the men and women are quite sordid
and unendurable; and that's how it came that I spoke of disliking
tradesmen. I little thought I should ever love one sprung from that
class.'

She turned to him tenderly.

'And in spite of what my birth is, you love me, Rose?'

'There's no spite in it, Evan. I do.'

Hard for him, while his heart was melting to caress her, the thought that
he had snared this bird of heaven in a net! Rose gave him no time for
reflection, or the moony imagining of their raptures lovers love to dwell
upon.

'You gave the letter to Polly, of course?'