ot love him. The romance of his
life had formed itself there, and there it must remain. In all his
solitary walks it was of her that he still thought. Of all the bright
castles in the air which he still continued to build, she was ever
the mistress. And yet he knew that she would never make him happy.
He had absolutely resolved that he would not torment her by another
request. But he gave himself no praise for his constancy, looking
on himself as being somewhat weak in that he could not overcome his
longing. When Ralph declared that he would not break his heart, but
that, nevertheless, he would stick to the girl, Gregory envied him,
not doubting of his success, and believing that it was to men of this
calibre that success in love is generally given. "I hope with all my
heart that you may win her," he said.

"I must run my chance like another. There's no 'Veni, vidi, vici,'
about it, I can tell you; nor is it likely that there should be with
such a girl as Mary Bonner. Fill your glass, old fellow. We needn't
sit mumchance because we're thinking of our loves."

"I had thought,--" began Gregory very slowly.

"What did you think?"

"I had thought once that you were thinking of--Clarissa."

"What put that into your head?"

"If you had I should never have said a word, nor fancied any wrong.
Of course she'll marry some one. And I don't know why I should ever
wish that it should not be you."

"But what made you think of it?"

"Well; I did. It was just a word that Patience said in one of her
letters."

"What sort of word?" asked Ralph, with much interest.

"It was nothing, you know. I just misunderstood her. When one is
always thinking of a thing everything turns itself that way. I got it
into my head that she meant to hint to me that as you and Clary were
fond of each other, I ought to forget it all. I made up my mind that
I would;--but it is so much easier to make up one's mind than to do
it." There came a tear in each eye as he spoke, and he turned his
face towards the fire that his brother might not see them. And there
they remained hot and oppressive, because he would not raise his hand
to rub them away.

"I wonder what it was she said," asked Ralph.

"Oh, nothing. Don't you know how a fellow has fancies?"

"There wasn't anything in it," said Ralph.

"Oh;--of course not."

"Patience might have imagined it," said Ralph. "That's just like such
a sister as Patience."

"She's the best woman that ever lived