He regretted having asked and
obtained permission to write to her. She seemed so remote from him,
their meeting so long past. What could there be in common between
himself and that dim, quiet little girl, who had excited his
sympathy merely because her pretty face was made sad by the same
torments which had afflicted him? He needed some strong, vehement,
original nature, such as Ida Starr's; how would Maud's timid
conventionality--doubtless she was absolutely conventional--suit
with the heresies of which he was all compact? Still, he could not
well ignore what had taken place between them, and, after all, there
would be a certain pleasant curiosity in awaiting her reply. In any
case, he would write just such a letter as came naturally from him.
If she were horrified, well, there was an end of the matter.
Accordingly, he sat down on the morning after his visit to Ida, and,
after a little difficulty in beginning, wrote a long letter. It was
mainly occupied with a description of his experiences in Litany Lane
and Elm Court. He made no apology for detailing such unpleasant
matters, and explained that he would henceforth be kept in pretty
close connection with this unknown world.
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