d.

"Upon my word, I begin to think you really are daft! Why, Elizabeth
Dudley, of course," she said, flushing and looking shy and embarrassed;
"that is, unless you mean for me to wed some saner man than this Abner
Dudley, Esquire," she added saucily.

"Would not the name Elizabeth or Betty or Betsy Logan suit you better?"
asked her lover, who then proceeded to tell her all.

She was greatly astonished, and rejoiced to learn of his brightened
worldly prospects; but when he told her his full name, her countenance
changed.

He was too absorbed to note this, and went on: "The question now is, my
dearest, how soon will you marry me? I need you now. Every day, every
hour, I long for you, my pet. So I shall speak to your father at once.
For some time he has been rather cool with me--ever since last summer,
when I argued with him about Barton Stone's views. But he's too just
and reasonable to refuse me your hand, upon no other objection than
that I did not side with him in a church quarrel. I will see him
to-morrow, and----"

"No, no!" Betsy interrupted, "do not speak with him yet; and please do
not let him know that your name is Logan. Let me tell him that, and
also about your new inheritance."

"But, my dear girl, why should not I tell him?"

"I can't make it plain to you, I'm afraid," answered Betty; "but I have
an instinctive feeling that things will not run at all smoothly--just
at first, you know--when he learns your news."

"All the more reason, then," Abner said, "for my telling him at once,
and thus get over this rough part as soon as possible."

"No, please let me speak to father first," urged Betsy.

"I fail to see why you should wish to do so," Abner said; "and it
certainly is my duty to speak to your father myself. Nor would it be
manly in me to shirk this duty off upon you."

"As I said," Betsy persisted, "I can't make my meaning clear to you. In
truth, I can't understand myself why I wish this; but of one thing I am
quite sure, both my father and mother, for some unknown cause, are
greatly prejudiced against the name 'Logan.' Mother, in particular,
abhors it. At some period of her life, she must have had some terrible
knowledge of some one of the name--you know there are many Logans in
this State and in Virginia--but whatever the reason for her extreme
aversion to the name, that aversion certainly exists. Therefore, it
behooves us to be very tactful in telling father and mother that you
are a Logan