Something serious has occurred in your life, and changed all in an instant.

You have been thrown against the real world.

You find it not to be what you supposed.

It is no cause for shame or regret; womanhood lies deeper than any pretense at gentility.

Men seldom fail to recognize this fact--their lives of struggle compel them to, but a woman finds it hard to understand." "To understand what ?" "How any man meeting her as I have you--in the street at night, under conditions society would frown at--can still feel for her a profound respect, and pay her the deference which a gentleman must always extend to one he deems worthy." For a long moment she did not speak, but withdrew her hand from beneath mine, resting her chin in its palm.
"What is your name ?" she asked finally.
"Gordon Craig." The lashes drooped quickly, securely shadowing the brown depths, the flush deepening on her cheeks.