The Argosy, Volume XLIV

This issue of The Argosy (July 1887, vol. XLIV) contains Chapter X of "Lady Grace" by Mrs. Henry Wood, author of East Lynne. The narrative follows Mary Dynevor, who has become engaged to Sir Everard Wilmot but realizes she cannot marry him. Lying awake troubled, she requests a private meeting. When Sir Everard visits, Mary confesses she does not love him and has fallen for Charles Baumgarten, whom she has known intimately since childhood. She begs Sir Everard to end the engagement himself, fearing her strict father Dr. Dynevor would forbid her marrying the poorer Baumgarten. Sir Everard reveals his own past: he was once deeply in love with a woman who died, leaving him emotionally depleted. He consents to break the engagement, and Mary responds with joy, hoping they can remain friends. The chapter concludes with philosophical reflection on Everard's loss of romantic passion, ending with a Byron quotation on first love's supreme significance.