“You were!” excitedly interrupted the proud woman opposite him. “You promised your Uncle Milton, when he was on his death-bed, that you would marry the daughter of his friend; it was with that understanding that he willed you his magnificent fortune; and now you will have to forfeit it all. Oh, it breaks my heart to think of it!” And truly madam did appear to be greatly distressed. “You forget, mother, that my promise to Uncle Milton Hamilton was conditional,” Dr. Winthrop answered. “I pledged myself to meet this young lady, Miss Rochester, and if we proved to be congenial, if we could love each other, then I would willingly marry her, and thus comply with the terms of the ‘R—H.’ will.” “Well, you have never met her; you do not know whether you are congenial or not; and you have not only lost Milton Hamilton’s magnificent fortune, but the one you would also have won with Sadie Rochester. More than this, the union would have been unexceptional in every way. The Rochesters belong to one of the oldest and finest families in the State; and I have heard that Sadie Rochester is a very beautiful and accomplished girl. I cannot be reconciled to it,” groaned Madame Winthrop, in conclusion. “Mother, be reasonable, and accept the inevitable. Fate, or Providence, interfered with my proposed meeting with Miss Rochester—sent me to Boston instead of to Europe, and decreed that I should meet and love Salome instead.” “But you need not have been so hasty about your marriage. Who knows but you might have been better pleased with Sadie Rochester if you had only waited,” Madame Winthrop irritably retorted. Dr. Winthrop made an impatient movement.