o me as you have done--you make me beside myself. And yet I ought to
resist. I don't wish to be an obstacle in the way of your happiness,
whatever it may cost me."

I took both her hands in mine. "Francis," I said, "I love you!" This
was my only answer.

"You persist? Can it be? May I still be happy!"

"Enough, Francis; you are mine! I will never forsake you; you are
mine for life!"

"For life!" she repeated after me, becoming so pale that I was afraid
she would faint. "Leopold, yes, I am yours; I put my trust in you,
and I love you as I have never loved before--never before," she
whispered quite low.

"At last!" I cried; and pressed the first kiss of love on her lips.

I need not tell you we came in too late for luncheon. It is true
we were not hungry. We returned to the house slowly, and almost
in silence, and we even slackened our pace as we drew nearer the
Castle. Francis, especially, seemed loath to enter.

"Let us rest on the moss at the foot of this large oak tree," she said;
"it seems to me that all my misfortunes will come back to me as soon
as I enter yonder. I cannot yet separate myself from my happiness. Oh,
Leopold! I wish we could fly away together, that no one might interpose
between us two."

"We will fly away, dearest; but first we must go through certain
formalities which will give us the right to appear in the world as
man and wife, and lift up our heads with the best of them."

"And then will follow the breakfast, the visits, and the
congratulations of mean and false people, who come with a hypocritical
smile to wish us joy, whilst behind our backs they will make a mock
of the man who has dared to marry Major Frank!"

"Oh, what a supposition!" I replied; "you must pay for that," kissing
her sad face into cheerfulness.

"I don't understand," she continued, "how people can treat so serious
a subject as marriage with such lightness. The woman especially
makes an immense sacrifice--her name, her will, her individual self;
a sacrifice which I always considered it would be impossible for me
to make, until I met you."

"And now?" I asked, kneeling before her on the moss, the better to see
into her beautiful eyes, which sparkled with happiness and tenderness.

"Now I have no longer so many objections," she replied with her
sweetest smile. "But do not remain in that position before me,
Leopold. It is only acting a lie, for I foresee you will be my lord
and master. But let us now go in, my dea