Your people were nice to me and I have thanked them.

But, dear, I am not likely to delude myself in regard to their real sentiments concerning me.

Too deeply ingrained, too basic, too essentially part of themselves and of their lives are the creeds, codes, and beliefs which, in spite of themselves, must continue to govern their real attitude toward such a girl as I am.
"It is dear of you to wish for us what cannot be; it is kind of them to accept your wish with resignation.
"But I have told you many times, my darling, that I would not accept a status as your wife at any cost to you or to them--and I can read between the lines, even if I did not know, what it would cost them and you.

And so, very gently, and with a heart full of gratitude and love for you, I must decline this public honour.
"But, God willing, I shall not decline a lifetime devoted to you when you are not with them.

That is all I can hope for; and it is so much more than I ever dreamed of having, that, to have you at all--even for a part of the time--even for a part of my life, is enough.