But did there not lurk, in the bottom of his heart, a presentiment that
it was to her alone he would hereafter be able to look for countenance
and comfort? And would he avail himself of the refuge? When those whom
their friends--whether justly or not--have abandoned, chance to stumble
upon some oasis of unconditional affection, they are not squeamish about
its source or orthodoxy; if the sentiment be sincere and hearty, that
is enough. In the present case, moreover, Cornelia, as a last resort,
was by no means so uninviting an object as she might have been.
But since the question lay between his fortune and Falsehood on one
side, and a wife and Truth on the other, how was it possible for him to
pause in his decision? Undoubtedly, had the young man once fairly
admitted to himself that his choice lay between these two bare
alternatives, he would have been spared much of the misery arising from
casuistry and duplicity. But people are loath to acknowledge any course
to be, beyond all appeal, right or wrong; they amuse themselves with
fancying some modification--some new condition--some escape; any thing
to get away from the grim face of the inevitable. Bressant, for
instance, might surely succeed in consummating his marriage with Sophie,
no matter what else he left undone; and that being once irrevocably on
his side of the balance, all that was vital to his happiness was secure;
by a quick stroke he might capture the fortune likewise, and could then
afford to laugh at the world.
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