said
Bart, "and you must forever serve her."

"And the first thing you do, will be to carry Wilder down to my dear
mother, with a letter--how blessed and happy she will be!--asking her
to send up a carriage--unless you have one somewhere?"

"Me? I haven't anything anywhere, but you. A carriage brought me into
this region, and I sent it back. Keep and ride the Prince, as you call
him; I can walk. I've done it before."

"You shall never do it again; if you do I will walk with you. We will
go to Wilder's, and see Mrs. Wilder, who is a blessed woman, and who
knew your secret, and knows mine; and Rose, who took me into her bed;
and we will have some dinner, unromantic ham and eggs; and when the
carriage comes, I will drive you to your mother's, and then you shall
drive me home--do you understand?"

"Perfectly; and shall implicitly obey. Do you know, I half suspect
this is all a dream, and that I shall wake up in Albany, or Jefferson,
or somewhere? I know I am not in Chardon, for I could not sleep long
enough to dream there."

"Why?"

"I was too near Newbury, and under the spell of old feelings and
memories; and I don't care to sleep again."

As they were about to leave the dear little nook, "Arthur," said
Julia, "let us buy a bit of this land, and keep this little romantic
spot from destruction." So they went out through the trees in the warm
sun, Bart with Prince's bridle in his hand, and Julia with her skirt
over one arm and the other in that of her lover.

"I hold tightly to your arm," said Bart, laughing, "so that if you
vanish, I may vanish with you."

"And I will be careful and not go to sleep while we are at Wilder's,
for fear you will steal away from me, you bad boy. If you knew how I
felt when I woke and found you had gone--"

"I should not have gone," interrupted Bart.

Thus all the little sweet nothings that would look merely silly on
paper, and sound foolish to other ears, yet so precious to them,
passed from one to the other as they went.

Wilder had eaten his dinner, and lounged out into the sun, with his
pipe, as they walked up. He knew Julia, of course, and Prince, and
looked hard at Bart, as they passed; when the comely wife came running
out.

"Oh," she exclaimed, taking Julia's hand, "and this--this is Mr.
Ridgeley."

"It is indeed," said Bart, brightly.

"And you are not--not--Oh! your two hearts are happy I see it in both
your faces. I am so glad."

Julia bent and kissed her.

"Oh