Standing in the parlor, he stood heartbroken. "I can't tell whether you are serious or not?" "Why should I be serious?" she returned blithely. "In that case Madam, all that remains is for me to tender my sincere wishes for your happiness." He disappeared, yet his love did not vanish. Reappearing in the attic he stood, understanding that the fantasy he held, that Carolyn Muir truly loved him was to disappear for all time. He had believed it inevitable, but still, he had hoped, hoped beyond reason that she might be his, but it was not to be.
