It is the soul that repents which is ennobled by repentance.
The soul that did the deed repented of is past forgiving. There was no
affectation on the part of Paul or Miss Ludington of ignoring the fraud
which Ida had practised, or pretending to forget it. This was not
necessary out of any consideration for her feelings, for they did not
hold that it was she who was guilty of that fraud, but another person.
As gradually she comprehended the way in which they looked upon her, and
came to perceive that they unquestioningly held that she had no
responsibility for her past self, but was a new being, she was filled
with a great exhilaration, the precise like of which was, perhaps, never
before known to a repentant wrong-doer. As they believed, so would she
believe. With a great joy she put the shameful past behind her and took
up her new life. "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he."
If she had loved Paul before, if she had before felt tenderly toward Miss
Ludington, a passion of gratitude now intensified her love, her
tenderness, a thousand-fold.
Miss Ludington's failing health was the only shadow on the perfect
happiness of the lovers during those two weeks of courtship.
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