Lives of Alcyone

Then he sought an interview with Alcyone, and explained that
these documents had fallen into his hands, and that his duty and
interest alike demanded that he should at once place them before
the King, by which he would obtain much credit and great reward;
but that because of his great love for her he was willing to take the
risk of suppressing them, if she on her part, by giving herself and her
wealth to him, would indemnify him for the loss of this reward, and
make his interests identical with those of her family. It, however, she
said a work about this to her father or anyone else, he would
instantly lodge the documents in the proper quarter.
This troubled Alcyone greatly; for her father’ s seals and
signatures were undoubtedly genuine, and she knew that he was in
the habit of expressing rather revolutionary opinions, and although
she had occasionally a doubt, she feared that the letters must really
be his. Also this seemed an opportunity to so something really
heroic, such as she and Demeter and Sirius had often talked
about—to save the family at the cost of what to her was more than
life. She felt herself precluded from consulting anybody, and she
saw no way to escape, so she yielded to this fellow’ s
representations and announced to her astonished family that she
intended to marry him. But she did not trust him, and so she
stipulated that she must have those incriminating letters in her
hands before the marriage ceremony.
The whole thing was a horrible business for her, especially
when her mother questioned her as to whether she really liked this
man, and she had to pretend that she did, while all the time her
heart was full of loathing. Sirius also was much shocked and pained
when he heard the news; he said that, though he could never love