abroad in her party was gall and wormwood to him. As the day of their departure approached his fears and misery increased until he looked as jaundiced as he felt. To let her go without a word was impossible, but the risk of that word! Would it be better to speak or to write? But if he wrote she might show his letter to Sinclair-oh, worry, worry, worry, and how that red-haired young fellow would laugh! He grew desperate as he thought of it! He almost wished once or twice he had never fallen in love, and what would be the end of it? The end of it for the present was an extension of his torture. The day before that fixed for the starting abroad, Dr. Ferrand was laid fast with the gout; and when Mr. Wilson saw him he gave it as his opinion that he would not be fit to travel for some weeks to come. CHAPTER THE SECOND. MR. MORE RECEIVES HIS QUIETUS. Trust her not-she is fooling thee.-LONGFELLOW. I. DOCTOR FERRAND's hereditary enemy, the gout, could hardly have chosen a more inconvenient season than the present for paying him a visit-inconvenient, that is, for everybody but Mr. More. To him the fates seemed singularly propitious. It deferred the tour abroad, in the first place; Sinclair returned from town to see what prospect of a start there was, and finding his father's attack was likely to be more tedious than dangerous, he joined some college friends in a yachting cruise to the Channel Islands for a month; and the foreign trip was delayed till September. But what proved a hindrance to the traveller's plans, proved a furtherance to to the impetuous Mr. More's. His feelings became quite too much for him, while he was seeing Alice and riding with her every day; and in a fatal moment he asked the question, and was answered with a very animated "No!" But he was not discouraged-far from it. Women should not be taken at their first word, he said, for their second thoughts were always best! 66 The effect of his proposal on Alice was very queer; she was so indignant! Quite on her high horse!" cried Miss Delia. "Nobody must speak to her about it." But for all nobody must speak to her about it, a very strong pressure was put on her at home, and she was very often indeed spoken to about it. One afternoon Rachel Withers caught her on the down alone; and though Alice laughed through her tears at the irresistibly ludicrous fancies conjured up by her lover's wooing, it vexed and wearied her more than enough to listen to her aunt Delia's reasonings and exhortations. They would have provoked a saint not of her own persuasion. "Ah, my child!" she would say in her soft cooing voice which ought to have melted a heart of stone, but which somehow had the effect of hardening Alice's more. "Ah, my child, you do not know what life is, or how thankful you might some day come to be for the protection of such a one as Mr. More! He VOL. II. 37 loves you, Alice, and there is an adage, Better be an old man's darling than a young man's slave!' And, ah how true it is!" And here she would pause, mournfully wave her head, take a long breath and go on again monotonously; "Think how happy it would make us to keep you in our neighbourhood, how comfortable you would be, how many opportunies of doing good you would find in your new sphere. Dear Alice, we shall force you to nothing, but you are, indeed you are setting a stubborn face against what seems a very enviable lot-a lot which hundreds of girl would gladly welcome!" Alice for the most part sate dumbly hearing, unconvinced and angry; but one day when Rachel was present she opened her mouth in a very unexpected retort. "Aunt Delia, though you are fond of Mr. More, he would be no society, help or comfort to me either in prosperity or adversity; and I have a great many just causes to show why we may not lawfully be joined together." "You profane, naughty puss! you are actually quoting the marriage service!" exclaimed Miss Delia, shocked and horrified beyond words to utter her feelings. Alice neither excused nor defended herself but said simply; "Yes, she had been reading it." Miss Delia heaved a profound sigh and murmured; "Alice, you are turning out a sore disappointment! I have set my heart on you too much, and now I am punished." It was cruel to harass the poor girl's feelings with words like these implying an accusation of cold ingratitude; for what could she answer to such a charge? Her face paled, she compressed her lips and just held her peace. The doctor was laid up in his room, so that she had not him to fly to, and Sinclair was out of reach. Rachel Withers was the only person near who knew enough to take her part, unless it were her aunt Flora; and aunt Flora was almost overborne by her sister's pertinacity. She was not in grief about her persecution, which was well for her; she did not mope, or show any self-distrust, or signs of giving in; and if Mr. More had possessed only a common share of discernment he might have found out that instead of gaining anything by pushing his proposal he was really making her hate him. Miss Delia bade her state some of the many just causes she referred to as impediments to her union with Mr. More. "He is fifty-seven and I am seventeen-" began she. "How do you know Mr. More is fifty-seven?" inter |