All
I ask of you, however, is to wait a little; remain calm and quiet,
and time will tell you which of us feels the deepest interest in your
happiness. In the meantime, aware of your attachment to him, as I am,
I beg you will no longer consider me in any other light than that of a
sincere friend. To seduce innocence, indeed--but I will not dwell upon
it; the love of woman, they say, is generous and forgiving; I hope yours
will be so. But, Miss Goodwin, as I can approach you no longer in
the character of a lover, I trust I may be permitted the privilege of
visiting the family as a friend and acquaintance. Now that your decision
against me is known, it will be contrary to the wishes of our folks at
home; especially of my mother, whose temper, as I suppose you are aware,
is none of the coolest; you will allow me, then, to visit you, but no
longer as claimant for your hand."
"I shall always be happy to see you, Mr. Woodward, but upon that
condition."
After he had token his leave, her parents, anxious to hear the result,
came up to the drawing-room, where they found her in a kind of a
reverie, from which their appearance startled her.
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