All this Anne had believed, and had not repeated until now.
All New Salem joined in declaring McNamar an impostor and his story a fabrication.

"Who knew how many wives he had ?" they said.

With one accord Anne's friends denounced him; and although his story turned out afterward to be not altogether false, it is small wonder that Anne herself at last came to believe that either he was dead or had ceased to love her.
While matters were in this state, Lincoln ventured to show his love for Anne.

It was a long time before she would listen; but, convinced at last that her former lover had deserted her, she promised, in the spring of 1835, to become his wife.

But Lincoln had nothing on which to support a family,--in fact, could hardly support himself.