Page:The Fruit of the Tree (Wharton 1907).djvu/388

Rh The latter, after a moment’s pause, broke the seal and read.

“Millﬁeld, Georgia.

“My dear Miss Brent,

“Your, letter reached me yesterday and I have thought it over carefully. I appreciate the feeling that prompted it—but I don’t know that any friend, however kind and discerning, can give the ﬁnal advice in such matters. You tell me you are sure my wife will not ask me to return—well, under present conditions that seems to me a sufﬁcient reason for staying away.

“Meanwhile, I assure you that I have remembered all you said to me that day. I have made no binding arrangement here—nothing to involve my future action—and I have done this solely because you asked it. This will tell you better than words how much I value your advice, and what strong reasons I must have for not following it now.

“I suppose there are no more exploring parties in this weather. I wish I could show Cicely some of the birds down here.

“Yours faithfully, “John Amherst.

“Please don’t let my wife ride Impulse.”

Latent under Justine’s acute consciousness of what this [ 372 ]