She could hardly have selected one more admirably calculated to wound, and it went straight through Christopher's heart.

It was now obvious that she did not love him, and never could have loved him, he assured himself, or she would not have misjudged him so cruelly, or said such hard things to him.

He did not realize that an angry woman says not what she thinks, but what she thinks will most hurt the man with whom she is angry.

He also did not realize--what man does ?--how difficult it is for any woman to believe that a man can care for her and disagree with her at the same time, even though the disagreement be upon a purely impersonal question.

Naturally, when the question happens to be personal, the strain on feminine faith is still greater--in the majority of cases too great to be borne.
Thus Christopher and Elisabeth came to the parting of the ways.