He could not enter into the position of Emma deserted and hopeless.

Want of money was intelligible to him, so was bitter disappointment at the loss of a good position; but the former he would not allow Emma to suffer, and the latter she would, in the nature of things, soon get over.

Her love for him he judged by his own feeling, making allowance, of course, for the weakness of women in affairs such as this.

He might admit that she would 'fret,' but the thought of her fretting did not affect him as a reality.

Emma had never been demonstrative, had never sought to show him all that was in her heart; hence he rated her devotion lightly.
The opinion of those who knew him! What of the opinion of Emma herself?
Yes, that went for much; he knew shame at the thought, perhaps keener shame than in anticipating the judgment, say, of Daniel Dabbs.