neither man nor woman should ever triumph over him,—­the proud ambitious man, defeated, humbled, scorned?  No! that was a meanness of egotism which only the most vulgar souls could be capable of.  Should he challenge her lover?  It was not the way of the people and time, and ended in absurd complications, if anybody was foolish enough to try it.  Shoot him?  The idea floated through his mind, for he thought of everything; but he was a lawyer, and not a fool, and had no idea of figuring in court as a criminal.  Besides, he was not a murderer,—­cunning was his natural weapon, not violence.  He had a certain admiration of desperate crime in others, as showing nerve and force, but he did not feel it to be his own style of doing business.

During the night he made every arrangement for leaving the village the next day, in case he failed to make any impression on Myrtle Hazard and found that his chance was gone.  He wrote a letter to his partner, telling him that he had left to join one of the regiments forming in the city.  He adjusted all his business matters so that his partner should find as little trouble as possible.  A little before dawn he threw himself on the bed, but he could not sleep; and he rose at sunrise, and finished his preparations for his departure to the city.

The morning dragged along slowly.  He could not go to the office, not wishing to meet his partner again.  After breakfast he dressed himself with great care, for he meant to show himself in the best possible aspect.  Just before he left the house to go to The Poplars, he took the sealed package from his trunk, broke open the envelope, took from it a single paper,—­it had some spots on it which distinguished it from all the rest,—­put it separately in his pocket, and then the envelope containing the other papers.  The calm smile he wore on his features as he set forth cost him a greater effort than he had ever made before to put it on.  He was moulding his face to the look with which he meant to present himself; and the muscles had been sternly fixed so long that it was a task to bring them to their habitual expression in company,—­that of ingenuous good-nature.

He was shown into the parlor at The Poplars; and Kitty told Myrtle that he had called and inquired for her and was waiting down stairs.

“Tell him I will be down presently,” she said.  “And, Kitty, now mind just what I tell you.  Leave your kitchen door open, so that you can hear anything fall in the parlor.  If you hear a book fall,—­it will be a heavy one, and will make some noise,—­run straight up here to my little chamber, and hang this red scarf out of the window.  The left-hand side-sash, mind, so that anybody can see it from the road.  If Mr. Gridley calls, show him into the parlor, no matter who is there.”

Kitty Fagan looked amazingly intelligent, and promised that she would do exactly as she was told.  Myrtle followed her down stairs almost immediately, and went into the parlor, where Mr. Bradshaw was waiting.