⁹ As the three women struggle with Kenrick's life-threatening crisis on the mountain, their true natures determine their destinies. Polly, the most instinctual of the three, gives herself fully to the needs of the moment, discovers the nature of Kenrick's predicament and frees him in an act of selfless devotion without concern for her own safety. Catherine, who has spent the story fighting against her impulsive nature in an attempt to be a shallow sophisticate like Miss Farno, acknowledges her love for Kenrick when she sees his danger, then marries him and spends the rest of her life adoring him. And Miss Farno, who dabbled in the foreign world of emotions in her flirtation with Kenrick, distances herself from the rescue effort, leaves town hurriedly to run away from her lingering feelings for Kenrick, then marries a dull, middle aged man who gives her material comfort without danger of excitement or romance.