all right. So he behoved to
have a splore, as they called it: he entertained all his friends at a
hotel to a supper, where they had a night of it, drinking, and singing,
and laughing, to bid him farewell. When he came back it was grey
daylight, and I was up to my work; and when he went past me, he saw me
crying, as he thought, for grief at the thought of his going away. And
really I was sorry, for I liked him the best of the lot, but my
greeting was more with the thought of his giving me something handsome
at parting than that he should take it up so serious. But he, in his
conceit, thought I was breaking my heart for the love of him, and he
tried to dry my tears. So, instead of going away that day, he stopped
another week; and then when he went to Paris, I said I would go with
him; and he would refuse me nothing. So we went in separate ships, and
met together in Paris; and I stopped with him at his lodgings, as is
common enough in that queer town; and well I liked the place, and the
sights, and the presents he gave me, and the clothes I had to put on;
and he was good enough to me, though he laughed at me whiles; and many
a day he called me greedy, but I aye got what I wanted out of him.

"Well, we had been three months in Paris, when he got word that his
eldest brother had broke his neck when he was hunting, and that his
father had taken the news so sore to heart that he was ill and not like
to recover, so Harry had to go home with all speed. I would not stop in
France without him, so we both came back again, and Harry went to Cross
Hall and me to my mother's. I was not over willing to go to her, for I
knew how angry she would be at me; but Harry said it was the best place
for me for the meantime, and he promised to send me money, so that I
would be no burden.

"As I dreaded, my mother was terrible angry at me; but when I told her
how soft Harry was, she thought he might be brought to marry me, and
she set her heart on managing that by hook or by cook. Her contrivance
was, that I should pretend to be very ill, and send for him to bid me
good-bye, and then she would manage the rest. So by her advice I took
to my bed and coughed very bad, and she made my cheeks look deadly
white, and my lips too; and when Harry came he was shocked to see me.
His father was dead by this time, as well as his eldest brother, so his
heart was especial soft, and he looked sore distressed at my being in
such a bad way.

"'Oh! Bessie,' says