He knew that he must have loved her ever since he had first seen her . The discovery amazed but did not shock him . There was no reason why he should not love her -- should not woo and win her for his wife if she cared for him . She was good and sweet and true . Anything of doubt in her antecedents could not touch her . Probably the world would look upon Captain Anthony as a somewhat undesirable father-in-law for a minister , but that aspect of the question did not disturb Alan . As for the trouble of the letter , he felt sure he would easily be able to clear it away . Probably some malicious busybody had become aware of his frequent calls at Four Winds and chose to interfere in his private affairs thus . For the first time it occurred to him that there had been a certain lack of cordiality among his people of late . If it were really so , doubtless this was the reason . At any other time this would have been of moment to him . But now his thoughts were too wholly taken up with Lynde and the estrangement on her part to attach much importance to anything else . What she thought mattered incalculably more to Alan than what all the people in Rexton put together thought . He had the right , like any other man , to woo the woman of his choice and he would certainly brook no outside interference in the matter . After a sleepless night he went back to Four Winds in the morning . Lynde would not expect him at that time and he would have more chance of finding her . The result justified his idea , for he met her by the spring . Alan felt shocked at the change in her appearance . She looked as if years of suffering had passed over her . Her lips were pallid , and hollow circles under her eyes made them appear unnaturally large .
He had last left the girl XXXXX the bloom of her youth ; he found her again a woman on whom life had laid its heavy hand .
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