was very quiet.

'My dear, I think you no more unwomanly than I think a rose
unlovely--but the rose has thorns which sometimes prick the
hands that would train it out of harm's way. And it might
occur even to your inexperience that when a gentleman who does
not know you presumes to address you, he can have nothing to
say which it would not be on several accounts proper for me to
hear.'

Again the colour bloomed up.

'You would know, if you were a woman, Mr. Falkirk, how it
feels to have a man sit and question you with such an air.
Ah,' she said, dashing off the tears which had gathered in her
eyes, 'if you really think I can take no better care of myself
than that, you should not have said I might go with those
people to-morrow!--A rose's thorns are for _protection_, sir!'--
And away she went, out of the room and up the stairs; and Mr.
Falkirk heard no more till Dingee entered with fruit and
biscuits.

'Missee Hazel hope you'll enjoy yours, sar,--she take her's
upstairs.'

Mr. Falkirk put on his hat and walked down to his house.

It was a slight fiction on the part of Dingee, to say that
Miss Hazel was taking her fruit upstairs; indeed the whole
message was freely translated from her--

'Dingee, attend to Mr. Falkirk's lunch, I don't want any.'

Presently now came Dingee to her with another message.

'Massa Morton--he 'most dyin' to see Miss Hazel--but he wait
till she done had her lunch.'

And she flashed down upon Mr. Morton's eyes, like a prism-
caught-sunbeam. By this time there were two pairs of eyes to
be dazzled. Mr. Dell had made his appearance on the stage.

Mr. Dell was a clergyman, of a different denomination, who
like Mr. Maryland had a church to take care of at Crocus. Mr.
Dell's was a little church at the opposite corner of the
village and society. He himself was a good-hearted, plain man,
with no savour of elegance about him, though with more than
the usual modicum of sense and shrewdness. Appearance
conformable to character. Mr. Morton was not very far from Mr.
Falkirk's range of years, though making more attempts to
conceal the fact. Rich, well educated, well mannered, a little
heavy, he had married very young; and now a widower of twenty
years standing, the sight of Wych Hazel had suggested to him
what a nice thing it would be to be married again. The estates
too suited each other, even touched at one point. With this
gentleman Wych Hazel had some slight acquaintance, and he
introd