For awhile, Edwin could not understand the reason of this change.
Kate was the same to him; and yet not the same. There was no
distance--no reserve on her part; and yet, when he came into her
presence, he felt his heart beat more quickly; and when she looked
him steadily in the face, his eyes would droop, involuntarily,
beneath her gaze.
Suddenly, Edwin awoke to a full realization of the fact that Kate
was to him more than a gentle friend or a sweet sister. From that
moment, he became reserved in his intercourse with her; and, after a
short time, firmly made up his mind that it was his duty to retire
from the family of his benefactor. The thought of endeavoring to win
the heart of the beautiful girl, whom he had always loved as a
sister, and now almost worshipped, was not, for a moment
entertained. To him there would have been so much of ingratitude in
this, and so much that involved a base violation of Mr. Darlington's
confidence, that he would have suffered anything rather than be
guilty of such an act.
But he could not leave the home where he had been so kindly regarded
for years, without offering some reason that would be satisfactory.
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