come than this struggle against Tito’s suggestions as against the meaner part of herself.
He had begun to see clearly that he could not persuade her into assent: he must take another course, and show her that the time for resistance was past.
That, at least, would put an end to further struggle; and if the disclosure were not made by himself tonight, tomorrow it must be made in another way.
This necessity nerved his courage; and his experience of her affectionateness and unexpected submissiveness, ever since their marriage until now, encouraged him to hope that, at last, she would accommodate herself to what had been his will.
“I am sorry to hear you speak in that spirit of blind persistence, my Romola,” he said, quietly, “because it obliges me to give you pain. But I partly foresaw your opposition, and as a prompt decision was necessary, I avoided that obstacle, and decided without consulting you. The very care of a husband for his wife’s interest compels him to that separate action sometimes—even when he has such a wife as you, my Romola.”