It all lay at her feet, waiting to be
picked up. How could she have hesitated, even for a moment? She rose,
and, walking over to her desk, she took out a sheet of paper and an
envelope. The latter she addressed to Lieutenant Spurling, H.M.S.
_Active_, Gibraltar. The note cost some little trouble, but at last
she got it worded to her mind.
"Dear Hector," she said--"I am convinced that your father has
never entirely approved of our engagement, otherwise he
would not have thrown obstacles in the way of our marriage.
I am sure, too, that since my poor father's misfortune it is
only your own sense of honour and feeling of duty which have
kept you true to me, and that you would have done infinitely
better had you never seen me. I cannot bear, Hector, to allow
you to imperil your future for my sake, and I have determined,
after thinking well over the matter, to release you from our
boy and girl engagement, so that you may be entirely free in
every way. It is possible that you may think it unkind of me
to do this now, but I am quite sure, dear Hector, that when you
are an admiral and a very distinguished man, you will look back
at this, and you will see that I have been a true friend to you,
and have prevented you from making a false step early in your
career.
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