An hour of lassitude filled her with despondency, none the less real because she was ashamed of it.

If only she had once been loved, like other women--if she had listened to an offer of devotion, and rejected it--her heart would be more securely at peace.

So she thought.

Secretly she deemed it a hard thing never to have known that common triumph of her sex.

And, moreover, it took away from the merit of her position as a leader and encourager of women living independently.