miably, that Henry
parted with her full of kind, warm feeling.

As the sage said, who was to be beheaded if he could not in a year
teach the king's ass to speak--what might not happen in a year; the
king might die, the ass might die, or he might die--any way there was
so much gained: and Averil, for the time, felt as light-hearted as if
Mrs. Pugh had vanished into empty air. To be sure, her own life had,
of late, been far from happy; but this extension of it was bailed with
suppressed ecstasy--almost as an answer to her prayers. Ah, Ave,
little did you know what you wished in hoping for anything to prevent
the marriage!

She did obey her brother so far as to call upon Mrs. Pugh, whom she
found in ordinary mourning, and capless--a sign that dismayed her; but,
on the other hand, the lady, though very good-natured and patronizing,
entertained her with the praises of King John, and showed her a copy of
Magna Charta in process of illumination. Also, during her call, Tom
May walked in with a little book on drops of water; and Averil found
the lady had become inspired with a microscopic furore, and was
thinking of setting up a lens, and preparing objects for herself, under
good tuition.

Though Averil was very desirous that Mrs. Pugh should refuse her
brother, yet this was the last service she wished the May family to
render her. She was sure Tom May must dislike and despise the widow as
much as she did; and since the whole town was unluckily aware of
Henry's intentions, any interference with them was base and malicious,
if in the way of mere amusement and flirtation. She was resolved to
see what the game was, but only did see that her presence greatly
disconcerted 'Mr. Thomas May.'

Henry was wretched and irritable in the velvet paws of the widow, who
encouraged him enough to give him hope, and then held him aloof, or was
equally amiable to some one else. Perhaps the real interpretation was,
that she loved attention. She was in all sincerity resolved to observe
a proper period of widowhood, and not determined whether, when, or how,
it should terminate: courtship amused her, and though attracted by
Henry and his good house, the evidences of temper and harshness had
made her unwilling to commit herself; besides that, she was afraid of
Averil, and she was more flattered by the civilities of a lioncel like
Harvey Anderson; or if she could be sure of what Mr. Thomas May's
intentions were, she would have preferred an em