What in him was confidence and self-reliance had been in Ida little
else than vanity and pride, and these, circumstances had enabled
him to wound unto death. He had, from the first, calmly and
philosophically recognized the fact that he must break down, in
part, the Chinese wall of her self-approval, before any elevating
ideas and ennobling impulses could enter, and as much through
unforeseen events as by his effort, this had been done to a degree
that threatened results that appalled him. He had been taught
thoroughly that faulty and ignorant as she undoubtedly was, she
was by no means shallow or weak. To his mind the depth of her
despondency was the measure of her power to realize her imperfection,
for he now supposed her depression was caused immediately by the
fact that she had been so harshly misjudged, but in the main because
of her resemblance to the flower he had tossed away and which he now
remembered, with deep satisfaction, was in his note-book, ready to
aid in the reassuring and encouraging work upon which he was eager
to enter.
He did not dream that by tactics the reverse of those pursued by
her numerous admirers he had won her heart, and that the apparent
hopelessness of her passion had outweighed all other burdens.
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