She would have hated herself had any such idea presented itself to her mind.

She prided herself on being a pure high-principled woman, who had kept so strong a guard upon herself as to be nearly free from the dangers of those rocks upon which other women made shipwreck of their happiness.

She took pride in this, and would then blame herself for her own pride.

But though she so blamed herself, it never occurred to her to think that to her there might be danger of such shipwreck.

She had put away from herself the idea of love when she had first perceived that Phineas had regarded her with more than friendship, and had accepted Mr.Kennedy's offer with an assured conviction that by doing so she was acting best for her own happiness and for that of all those concerned.