Page:An Unfinished Song.djvu/78

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AN UNFINISHED SONG
73

rules of Society. He spoke in his own defence. She had constantly sought him, had invited him repeatedly to her house, and acted like one afflicted if he did not go as often as she wished. If she went anywhere, she asked him to accompany her, and so forth. It would have been ungracious on his part to refuse her requests. In this way he fell into a trap, but as soon as he saw that she wished to marry him, he became less marked in his attentions towards her.

This was his side of the story, but it failed to have the intended impression upon me. I only pitied the unfortunate girl the more, nor did it increase my respect for her accuser.

"But why did you allow her to be deceived?" I observed. "What may have been a mere flirtation to you, was evidently to her the expression of deep-rooted feeling. Your amusement was her sorrow. Such being the case you were in duty bound to marry her."

"Do you hold that because a man makes a mistake in an unfortunate moment he should on that account ruin his whole life? If I had married her, I should not only have