Alpha Book

The finality of the affair, according to Nina, was what had seemed to
her the most distressing--as though those two were already dead people.
She was unable to understand it. Could no glimmer of hope remain that,
in that magic "some day" of all young minds, the evil mystery might
dissolve? Could there be no living "happily ever after" in the wake of
such a storm? She had managed to hope for that, and believe in it.
Then, in some way, the news of Alixe's marriage to Ruthven filtered
through the family silence. She had gone straight to Nina, horrified,
unbelieving. And, when the long, tender, intimate interview was over,
another unhappy truth, very gently revealed, was added to the growing
list already learned by this young girl.
Then Selwyn came. She had already learned something of the world's
customs and manners before his advent; she had learned more since his
advent; and she was learning something else, too--to understand how
happily ignorant of many matters she had been, had better be, and had
best remain.


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