y went still farther in silence--passing along one of the beautiful
walks on the outskirts of the town, yet not observant of scene or
situation. Her shoulder and his were close together, and he clasped his
fingers round the small of her arm--quite lightly, and without any
attempt at impetus; yet the act seemed to say, 'Now I hold you, and my
will must be yours.'

Recurring to a previous question of hers he said, 'I have merely run down
here for a day or two from school near Trufal, before going off to the
north for the rest of my holiday. I have seen my relations at Redrutin
quite lately, so I am not going there this time. How little I thought of
meeting you! How very different the circumstances would have been if,
instead of parting again as we must in half-an-hour or so, possibly for
ever, you had been now just going off with me, as my wife, on our
honeymoon trip. Ha--ha--well--so humorous is life!'

She stopped suddenly. 'I must go back now--this is altogether too
painful, Charley! It is not at all a kind mood you are in to-day.'

'I don't want to pain you--you know I do not,' he said more gently. 'Only
it just exasperates me--this you are going to do. I wish you would not.'

'What?'

'Marry him. There, now I have showed you my true sentiments.'

'I must do it now,' said she.

'Why?' he asked, dropping the off-hand masterful tone he had hitherto
spoken in, and becoming earnest; still holding her arm, however, as if
she were his chattel to be taken up or put down at will. 'It is never
too late to break off a marriage that's distasteful to you. Now I'll say
one thing; and it is truth: I wish you would marry me instead of him,
even now, at the last moment, though you have served me so badly.'

'O, it is not possible to think of that!' she answered hastily, shaking
her head. 'When I get home all will be prepared--it is ready even
now--the things for the party, the furniture, Mr. Heddegan's new suit,
and everything. I should require the courage of a tropical lion to go
home there and say I wouldn't carry out my promise!'

'Then go, in Heaven's name! But there would be no necessity for you to
go home and face them in that way. If we were to marry, it would have to
be at once, instantly; or not at all. I should think your affection not
worth the having unless you agreed to come back with me to Trufal this
evening, where we could be married by licence on Monday morning. And
then no Mr. David Heddeg