Letters were brought to each of them on this morning, and Seward's attention was of course occupied by those which he received. Grey, as soon as the envelopes had touched his hand, became aware that one of them was from Alice, and this he at once opened. He did it very calmly, but without any of that bravado of indifference with which George Vavasor had received Alice's letter from Westmoreland. "It is right that I should tell you at once," said Alice, rushing into the middle of her subject without even the formality of the customary address--"It is right that I should tell you at once that--." Oh, the difficulty which she had encountered when her words had carried her as far as this!--"that my cousin, George Vavasor, has repeated to me his offer of marriage, and that I have accepted it. I tell you, chiefly in order that I may save you from the trouble which you purposed to take when I last saw you at Cheltenham. I will not tell you any of the circumstances of this engagement, because I have no right to presume that you will care to hear them. I hardly dare to ask you to believe of me that in all that I have done, I have endeavoured to act with truth and honesty. That I have been very ignorant, foolish,--what you will that is bad, I know well; otherwise there could not have been so much in the last few years of my life on which I am utterly ashamed to look back. For the injury that I have done you, I can only express deep contrition. 
Letters were brought to both of them this morning, and Seward's attention was occupied by his own. Grey opened his letter from Alice at once, very calmly, but without any of that pretended indifference with which George Vavasor had received Alice's letter.
"It is right that I should tell you at once," said Alice - oh, the difficulty of writing this! - "that my cousin, George Vavasor, has repeated to me his offer of marriage, and that I have accepted it. I tell you chiefly in order to save you from the trouble of visiting. I will not tell you the circumstances of this engagement, because I do not think that you will care to hear them. I hardly dare to ask you to believe that I have endeavoured to act with truth and honesty. That I have been very ignorant, foolish and bad, I know well; there is much in the last few years of my life of which I am utterly ashamed. For the injury that I have done you, I can only express deep contrition. 