Those who loved would understand.

Those who did not understand would condemn, and the existence of either class was of no earthly importance to himself or to Ella.
When he awoke on the Thursday morning the feeling of exultation of which he was conscious was not without a note of depression.

So it had been when the object of his explorations in New Guinea had been attained, and he looked down at that exquisite thing--that dead splendor at his feet.
He wondered if the attainment of every great object which a man may have in life brings about a feeling of sadness that almost neutralizes the exultation.

As he picked up his letters he had a fear that among them there might be one from Ella, telling him that she had come to the conclusion that she had written too hastily those lines which he had received on Tuesday--that, on consideration, she was unwilling to lose her soul for love of him.
No such letter, however, was among his correspondence.

(Could it be possible that he was disappointed on account of this ?) He received an intimation from Berlin of the conferring of an order upon him in recognition of his exploration of a territory in which Germany was so greatly interested.