ell out of the book, and she looked at it;
after that, any woman would have gone on looking at it."

"Very few women would have gone on looking at it."

"Mothers, I mean. Mothers feel they have a right, you know. I ought
not to have left it there. It was my fault; but the whole house has
been in such a miserable confusion, with the packing and the ball; and
it has been Harry here, and Harry there, and the truth is, mother
called me while I was writing, and she was in a great hurry, and I
slipped the letter into the book, and when I got back I had forgotten
where I put it. I looked everywhere, and as there was a fire burning
on the hearth, I concluded that I had burnt it."

"Which you ought to have done."

"Yes; but then, Yanna, mother had to know."

"I wish I had known first. What did she say?"

"She thought we ought, for Rose's sake, to put off our marriage and
keep our engagement secret."

"Yes. Why for Rose's sake?"

"It sounds egotistical to tell you, Yanna; but mother says that Rose
is asked out a great deal more for my sake than for her own, and as
she has made expensive preparations for the season, she wants Rose to
have the full benefit of them; that is only natural. However, she
thinks it impossible, if it is known that I am engaged."

"The whole affair is humiliating, Harry; but I hear father coming, and
you had better speak to him. He will know what I ought to do under the
circumstances."

"I would rather see him to-morrow. I want to talk to my mother
again--to collect my thoughts--to explain myself better to you,
dearest."

But Peter entered as he was speaking, and Yanna for a moment made no
attempt to alter the significant position of Harry towards herself;
for he was holding her hand, while his whole attitude was that of an
imploring lover.

Yanna rose and left the room, as her father came forward. "Well, sir?"
said Peter, not unkindly, but with an interrogative emphasis Harry
could not pretend to ignore. He rose and offered his hand to Peter. "I
have been telling Yanna that I love her," he said, "and she has
promised to be my wife." The young man's hand lay in Peter's hand as
he made this confession, and Peter led him to the fireside.

"Sit down, sir. I have something to say to you; and as you see, I am
very wet. The storm was driving in my face." Then Harry looked
outward, and saw the empty lawn blinded with rain, and the gray hills
and the gray clouds meeting.

Peter removed his coat