I did not sleep at all that night , nor did I forget . God help me ! I was realizing that I never could forget . At six o'clock I came downstairs , made a pretence at eating some biscuits and cheese which I found on the sideboard , scribbled a brief note to Hephzy stating that I had gone for a walk and should not be back to breakfast , and started out . The walk developed into a long one and I did not return to the rectory until nearly eleven in the forenoon . By that time I was in a better mood , more reconciled to the inevitable -- or I thought I was . I believed I could play the man , could even see her married to Herbert Bayliss and still behave like a man .
I did not sleep at all that night , nor did I forget . God help me ! I was realizing that I never could forget . At six o'clock I came downstairs , made a pretence at eating some biscuits and cheese which I found on the sideboard , scribbled a brief note to Hephzy stating that I had gone for a walk and should not be back to breakfast , and started out . The walk developed into a long one and I did not return to the rectory until nearly eleven in the forenoon . By that time I was in a better mood , more reconciled to the inevitable -- or I thought I was . I believed I could play the man , could even see her married to Herbert Bayliss and still behave like a man .