The fact remains that I had not . Out of the whole world Alan Fraser was the last man whom I should have suspected to be the writer of those letters -- Alan Fraser , my hereditary enemy , who , I had been told , cherished the old feud so faithfully and bitterly , and hated our very name . And yet I now wondered at my long blindness . No one else could have written those letters -- no one but him . I read them over one by one when I reached home and , now that I possessed the key , he revealed himself in every line , expression , thought . And he loved me ! I thought of the old feud and hatred ; I thought of my pride and traditions . They seemed like the dust and ashes of outworn things -- things to be smiled at and cast aside . I took out all the letters I had written -- all except the last one -- sealed them up in a parcel and directed it to Alan Fraser . Then , summoning my groom , I bade him ride to Glenellyn with it . His look of amazement almost made me laugh , but after he was gone I felt dizzy and frightened at my own daring . When the autumn darkness came down I went to my room and dressed as the woman dresses who awaits the one man of all the world . I hardly knew what I hoped or expected , but I was all athrill with a nameless , inexplicable happiness . I admit I looked very eagerly into the mirror when I was done , and I thought that the result was not unpleasing . Beauty had never been mine , but a faint reflection of it came over me in the tremulous flush and excitement of the moment . Then the maid came up to tell me that Alan Fraser was in the library . I went down with my cold hands tightly clasped behind me . He was standing by the library table , a tall , broad-shouldered man , with the light striking upward on his dark , sensitive face and iron-grey hair . When he saw me he came quickly forward . `` So you know -- and you are not angry -- your letters told me so much .
I have loved you since that day XXXXX the beech wood , Isobel -- Isobel . ''
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