eral days, asking many questions, trying, as I could see, to keep
the conversation off the one raw surface, on which to touch was agony.
I had less self-command; but I followed her lead. I was not so much
absorbed in the conversation but what I could see that the minister was
puzzled and uneasy; though he seconded Phillis's efforts to prevent her
mother from recurring to the great piece of news, and uttering
continual exclamations of wonder and surprise. But with that one
exception we were all disturbed out of our natural equanimity, more or
less. Every day, every hour, I was reproaching myself more and more for
my blundering officiousness. If only I had held my foolish tongue for
that one half-hour; if only I had not been in such impatient haste to
do something to relieve pain! I could have knocked my stupid head
against the wall in my remorse. Yet all I could do now was to second
the brave girl in her efforts to conceal her disappointment and keep
her maidenly secret. But I thought that dinner would never, never come
to an end. I suffered for her, even more than for myself. Until now
everything which I had heard spoken in that happy household were simple
words of true meaning. If we bad aught to say, we said it; and if any
one preferred silence, nay if all did so, there would have been no
spasmodic, forced efforts to talk for the sake of talking, or to keep
off intrusive thoughts or suspicions.

At length we got up from our places, and prepared to disperse; but two
or three of us had lost our zest and interest in the daily labour. The
minister stood looking out of the window in silence, and when he roused
himself to go out to the fields where his labourers were working, it
was with a sigh; and he tried to avert his troubled face as he passed
us on his way to the door. When he had left us, I caught sight of
Phillis's face, as, thinking herself unobserved, her countenance
relaxed for a moment or two into sad, woeful weariness. She started
into briskness again when her mother spoke, and hurried away to do some
little errand at her bidding. When we two were alone, cousin Holman
recurred to Holdsworth's marriage. She was one of those people who like
to view an event from every side of probability, or even possibility;
and she had been cut short from indulging herself in this way during
dinner.

'To think of Mr Holdsworth's being married! I can't get over it, Paul.
Not but what he was a very nice young man! I don't like he