ell came round, by crooked paths, yet sure, to none other point than
Rose Salterne, and how he thought of her here and thought of her there,
and how he wondered what she would say if she had seen him in this
adventure, and how he longed to have had her with him to show her that
glorious sight, till Frank let him have his own way, and then out came
the whole story of the simple fellow's daily and hourly devotion to her,
through those three long years of world-wide wanderings.

"And oh, Frank, I could hardly think of anything but her in the church
the other day, God forgive me! and it did seem so hard for her to be the
only face which I did not see--and have not seen her yet, either."

"So I thought, dear lad," said Frank, with one of his sweetest smiles;
"and tried to get her father to let her impersonate the nymph of
Torridge."

"Did you, you dear kind fellow? That would have been too delicious."

"Just so, too delicious; wherefore, I suppose, it was ordained not to
be, that which was being delicious enough."

"And is she as pretty as ever?"

"Ten times as pretty, dear lad, as half the young fellows round have
discovered. If you mean to win her and wear her (and God grant you may
fare no worse!) you will have rivals enough to get rid of."

"Humph!" said Amyas, "I hope I shall not have to make short work with
some of them."

"I hope not," said Frank, laughing. "Now go to bed, and to-morrow
morning give your sword to mother to keep, lest you should be tempted to
draw it on any of her majesty's lieges."

"No fear of that, Frank; I am no swash-buckler, thank God; but if any
one gets in my way, I'll serve him as the mastiff did the terrier,
and just drop him over the quay into the river, to cool himself, or my
name's not Amyas."

And the giant swung himself laughing out of the room, and slept all
night like a seal, not without dreams, of course, of Rose Salterne.

The next morning, according to his wont, he went into his mother's room,
whom he was sure to find up and at her prayers; for he liked to say his
prayers, too, by her side, as he used to do when he was a little boy. It
seemed so homelike, he said, after three years' knocking up and down
in no-man's land. But coming gently to the door, for fear of disturbing
her, and entering unperceived, beheld a sight which stopped him short.

Mrs. Leigh was sitting in her chair, with her face bowed fondly down
upon the head of his brother Frank, who knelt before her,