How could she become the daughter-in-law of the man who had ruined her own father?
The idea was preposterous, and hard as the sacrifice would be, Jefferson must be made to see it in that light.

Their engagement was the greatest folly; it bound each of them when nothing but unhappiness could possibly come of it.

She was sure now that she loved Jefferson.

It would be hard to give him up, but there are times and circumstances when duty and principle must prevail over all other considerations, and this she felt was one of them.
The following morning she received a letter from Stott.

He was delighted to hear the good news regarding her important discovery, and he urged her to lose no time in securing the letters and forwarding them to Massapequa, when he would immediately go to Washington and lay them before the Senate.