anticipate his withholding of the
word.

For her brother at wrestle with his fallen fortunes was now the beating
heart of Carinthia's mind. Her husband was a shadow there. He did
obscure it, and he might annoy, he was unable to set it in motion. He
sat there somewhat like Youth's apprehension of Death:--the dark spot
seen mistily at times through people's tears, or visioned as in
an ambush beyond the hills; occasionally challenged to stimulate
recklessness; oftener overlooked, acknowledged for the undesired remote
of life's conditions, life's evil, fatal, ill-assorted yoke-fellow; and
if it was in his power to burst out of his corner and be terrible to
her, she could bring up a force unnamed and unmeasured, that being the
blood of her father in her veins. Having done her utmost to guard her
babe, she said her prayers; she stood for peace or the struggle.

'Does Lord Fleetwood speak of coming here?' she said.

'To-morrow.'

'I go to Croridge to-morrow.'

'Your ladyship returns?'

'Yes, I return Mr. Gower, you have fifty minutes before you dress for
dinner.'

He thought only of the exceeding charity of the intimation; and he may
be excused for his not seeing the feminine full answer it was, in an
implied, unmeditated contrast. He went gladly to find his new comrade,
his flower among grass-blades, the wonderful creature astonishing him
and surcharging his world by setting her face at him, opening her breast
to him, breathing a young man's word of words from a woman's mouth. His
flower among grass-blades for a head looking studiously down, she was
his fountain of wisdom as well, in the assurance she gave him of the
wisdom of his choice.

But Madge had put up the 'prize-fighter's lass,' by way of dolly
defence, to cover her amazed confusion when the proposal of this
well-liked gentleman to a girl such as she sounded churchy. He knocked
it over easily; it left, however, a bee at his ear and an itch to
transfer the buzzer's attentions and tease his darling; for she had
betrayed herself as right good game. Nor is there happier promise of
life-long domestic enlivenment for a prescient man of Letters than he
has in the contemplation of a pretty face showing the sensitiveness to
the sting, which is not allowed to poison her temper, and is short
of fetching tears. The dear innocent girl gave this pleasing promise;
moreover, she could be twisted-to laugh at herself, just a little. Now,
the young woman who can do that has