Elizabeth Garrow, engaged to Godfrey Holmes, a rising young banker in Liverpool, was so determined that she would not allow herself to be carried away by her happiness that she leaned backward to make the affair seem humdrum. Godfrey was deeply and romantically in love with her, and resented her coldness. By mutual consent their engagement was broken, but Godfrey, who was convinced of Elizabeth’s love for him, succeeded in convincing her that her self-martyrdom was morbid and their engagement was renewed.