Without my Cloak, Part V

Christina tells him that she is settling into New York life and when he tells her he still loves her and wants her to come home and marry him, she refuses. She knows that their class differences will make it impossible for her to become part of his family. Denis is confused. He wants to rescue her and doesnt know why she is so reluctant to accept his offer of marriage. Then she tells him that she has had an offer of marriage from someone in New York and she's going to marry him. Denis doesn't believe her, at first and thinks that she is making it up to save him from having to marry her and take her back to Ireland. But when he meets her employer, he can see that the man, who is quite a bit older than Christina, does love her and perhaps she will be happy with him. She seems so determined to stay in New York, and he knows that she's right about the problems of her marrying into the wealthy Considines. Sadly, he goes back home. He is now close to his 21st birthday and his father is trying to cheer him up by giving him generous presents and a promotion in his job. He is pleased in one way but then suddenly he ralises that he's being trapped, and that he does not want to be trapped. He decides to walk out on the family, and disappears for a day, telling himself he wont come back. His father is badly shaken. Then Denis returns towards the end of the day and meets Anna Hennessy, the daughter of a wealthy Catholic businessman, who is intelligent and attractive. She and he start to talk and he decides that he will stay in Mellick and try to pursue a relationship with her. She is more suitable to marry him than Christina was, and he finds himself falling for her. Im not so keen on this ending as it seems rather callous of Denis to leave Christina, whom he claimed to love, in New York...and he seems to rush into this new relationship with Anna. The book has seemed to claim that Denis is different to his family and has talents that they dont possess, yet he seems to be settling for a dull life in Mellick.