I never thought to love him, but, you see, I do," she concluded, a certain faint triumph in her voice.
They talked long, and to little purpose, in conclusion agreeing to wait an indeterminate time without doing anything.
The same conclusion was reached, a little later that night, between Mrs.
Morse and her husband, after she had made due confession of the miscarriage of her plans.
"It could hardly have come otherwise," was Mr.Morse's judgment.

"This sailor-fellow has been the only man she was in touch with.

Sooner or later she was going to awaken anyway; and she did awaken, and lo! here was this sailor-fellow, the only accessible man at the moment, and of course she promptly loved him, or thought she did, which amounts to the same thing." Mrs.Morse took it upon herself to work slowly and indirectly upon Ruth, rather than to combat her.

There would be plenty of time for this, for Martin was not in position to marry.
"Let her see all she wants of him," was Mr.Morse's advice.

"The more she knows him, the less she'll love him, I wager.