common and stupid
now. Their sentiment had set a colour hardly less visible than a
material one on surrounding objects, as sentiment must where life is but
thought. Nicholas was as devoted as ever to the fair Christine; but
unhappily he too had moods and humours, and the division between them was
not closed.

She had no sooner got indoors and sat down to her work-table than her
father entered the drawing-room.

She handed him his newspaper; he took it without a word, went and stood
on the hearthrug, and flung the paper on the floor.

'Christine, what's the meaning of this terrible story? I was just on my
way to look at the register.'

She looked at him without speech.

'You have married--Nicholas Long?'

'No, father.'

'No? Can you say no in the face of such facts as I have been put in
possession of?'

'Yes.'

'But--the note you wrote to the rector--and the going to church?'

She briefly explained that their attempt had failed.

'Ah! Then this is what that dancing meant, was it? By ---, it makes me
---. How long has this been going on, may I ask?'

'This what?'

'What, indeed! Why, making him your beau. Now listen to me. All's well
that ends well; from this day, madam, this moment, he is to be nothing
more to you. You are not to see him. Cut him adrift instantly! I only
wish his volk were on my farm--out they should go, or I would know the
reason why. However, you are to write him a letter to this effect at
once.'

'How can I cut him adrift?'

'Why not? You must, my good maid!'

'Well, though I have not actually married him, I have solemnly sworn to
be his wife when he comes home from abroad to claim me. It would be
gross perjury not to fulfil my promise. Besides, no woman can go to
church with a man to deliberately solemnize matrimony, and refuse him
afterwards, if he does nothing wrong meanwhile.'

The uttered sound of her strong conviction seemed to kindle in Christine
a livelier perception of all its bearings than she had known while it had
lain unformulated in her mind. For when she had done speaking she fell
down on her knees before her father, covered her face, and said, 'Please,
please forgive me, papa! How could I do it without letting you know! I
don't know, I don't know!'

When she looked up she found that, in the turmoil of his mind, her father
was moving about the room. 'You are within an ace of ruining yourself,
ruining me, ruining us all!' he said. 'You are n