k to his ship goes Billy with a song of love and constancy.'

I said nothing of my chagrin at the behaviour of the pair who had
furnished my first idea of the romantic beauty of love.

'Why does she talk twice as Irish as she used to, Heriot?'

'Just to coax the world to let her be as nonsensical as she likes. She's
awfully dull; she has only her nonsense to amuse her. I repeat: soldiers
and sailors oughtn't to marry. I'm her best friend. I am, on my honour:
for I 'm going to make Billy give up the service, since he can't give
her up. There she is!' he cried out, and waved his hat to a lady on
horseback some way down the slope of a road leading to the view of our
heathland:

'There's the only girl living fit to marry a man and swear she 'll stick
to him through life and death.'

He started at a gallop. Temple would have gone too at any possible
speed, for he knew as well as I did that Janet was the girl alone
capable of winning a respectful word from Heriot; but I detained him
to talk of Ottilia and my dismal prospect of persuading the squire to
consent to my proposal for her, and to dower her in a manner worthy a
princess. He doled out his yes and no to me vacantly. Janet and Heriot
came at a walking pace to meet us, he questioning her, she replying, but
a little differently from her usual habit of turning her full face to
the speaker. He was evidently startled, and, to judge from his posture,
repeated his question, as one would say, 'You did this?' She nodded, and
then uttered some rapid words, glanced at him, laughed shyly, and sank
her features into repose as we drew near. She had a deep blush on her
face. I thought it might be, that Janet and her loud champion had come
to particular terms, a supposition that touched me with regrets for
Temple's sake. But Heriot was not looking pleased. It happened that
whatever Janet uttered struck a chord of opposition in me. She liked the
Winter and the Winter sunsets, had hopes of a frost for skating, liked
our climate, thought our way of keeping Christmas venerable, rejoiced in
dispensing the squire's bounties--called them bounties, joined Heriot
in abusing foreign countries to the exaltation of her own: all this with
'Well, Harry, I'm sorry you don't think as we do. And we do, don't we?'
she addressed him.

'I reserve a point,' he said, and not playfully.

She appeared distressed, and courted a change of expression in his
features, and I have to confess that never havin