Their experience was that these things always came right of themselves at last, and they usually let them.

He knew that she had really tried to consent to a thing that was repugnant to her, and in his heart he gave her more credit for the effort than he had allowed her openly.

She knew that she had made it with the reservation he accused her of, and that he had a right to feel sore at what she could not help.

But he left her to brood over his ingratitude, and she suffered him to go heavy and unfriended to meet the chances of the day.

He said to himself that if she had assented cordially to the conditions of Fulkerson's offer, he would have had the courage to take all the other risks himself, and would have had the satisfaction of resigning his place.