Before God, I did! No man who loved a woman, honoured her, worshipped her, could have been more scrupulously careful as to leaving her free.

What it was to me to so hold myself no one knows; no one ever will know.

For I loved her, do love her, with every nerve and fibre of my heart.

All our lives we had been friends; and I believed we loved and trusted each other.

But.