“I will trust you⁠—if ever the time comes I will trust you as my friend and her friend, as my brother and her brother.” She stopped, drew me nearer to her⁠—the fearless, noble creature⁠—touched my forehead, sister-like, with her lips, and called me by my Christian name. “God bless you, Walter!” she said. “Wait here alone and compose yourself⁠—I had better not stay for both our sakes⁠—I had better see you go from the balcony upstairs.”

She left the room. I turned away towards the window, where nothing faced me but the lonely autumn landscape⁠—I turned away to master myself, before I too left the room in my turn, and left it forever.