It was a great deal to let go; and there he stood till another wave of conscience bore in upon his soul the absolute nature of the theft, and made him shudder.

The footsteps of a solitary policeman could be heard nearing him along the deserted street; hesitation ended, and he let the letter go.
When he awoke in the morning he thought over the circumstances by the cheerful light of a low eastern sun.

The horrors of the situation seemed much less formidable; yet it cannot be said that he actually regretted his act.

Later on he walked out, with the strange sense of being a man who, from one having a large professional undertaking in hand, had, by his own act, suddenly reduced himself to an unoccupied nondescript.

From the upper end of the town he saw in the distance the grand grey towers of Stancy Castle looming over the leafless trees; he felt stupefied at what he had done, and said to himself with bitter discontent: 'Well, well, what is more contemptible than a half-hearted rogue!' That morning the post-bag had been brought to Paula and Mrs.Goodman in the usual way, and Miss Power read the letter.