She had not wanted to leave the valley.

She had not wanted to lose John Gilman.

She had not wanted to part with the home she had been reared in.
Yet all of these things seemed to have been forced upon her.

All Marian knew to do was to square her shoulders, take a deep breath, put regrets behind her, and move steadily toward the best future she could devise for herself.
She carried letters of introduction to the San Francisco architects, Nicholson and Snow, who had offered a prize for the best house that could be built in a reasonable time for fifteen thousand dollars.

She meant to offer her plans in this competition.