ilure. So she blushed
and trembled, and thought and was silent. "Dear Polly, do you mean
that you cannot love me?" said Ralph.

"I don't know," said Polly.

"Will you try?" demanded Ralph.

"And I don't know that you can love me."

"Indeed, indeed, I can."

"Ah, yes;--you can say so, I don't doubt. There's a many of them as
can say so, and yet it's not in 'em to do it. And there's men as
don't know hardly how to say it, and yet it's in their hearts all the
while." Polly must have been thinking of Ontario as she made this
latter oracular observation.

"I don't know much about saying it; but I can do it, Polly."

"Oh, as for talking, you can talk. You've been brought up that way.
You've had nothing else much to do."

She was very hard upon him, and so he felt it. "I think that's not
fair, Polly. What can I say to you better than that I love you, and
will be good to you?"

"Oh, good to me! People are always good to me. Why shouldn't they?"

"Nobody will be so good as I will be,--if you will take me. Tell me,
Polly, do you not believe me when I say I love you?"

"No;--I don't."

"Why should I be false to you?"

"Ah;--well;--why? It's not for me to say why. Father's been putting
you up to this. That's why."

"Your father could put me up to nothing of the kind if it were not
that I really loved you."

"And there's another thing, Mr. Newton."

"What's that, Polly?"

"I'm not at all sure that I'm so very fond of you."

"That's unkind."

"Better be true than to rue," said Polly. "Why, Mr. Newton, we don't
know anything about each other,--not as yet. I may be, oh, anything
bad, for what you know. And for anything I know you may be idle, and
extravagant, and a regular man flirt." Polly had a way of speaking
the truth without much respect to persons. "And then, Mr. Newton,
I'm not going to be given away by father just as he pleases. Father
thinks this and that, and he means it all for the best. I love father
dearly. But I don't mean to take any body as I don't feel I'd pretty
nigh break my heart if I wasn't to have him. I ain't come to breaking
my heart for you yet, Mr. Newton."

"I hope you never will break your heart."

"I don't suppose you understand, but that's how it is. Let it just
stand by for a year or so, Mr. Newton, and see how it is then. Maybe
we might get to know each other. Just now, marrying you would be
like taking a husband out of a lottery." Ralph stood looking at her,
passing his han