nce breaks
her promises and forgets the past, while I," said Will, with growing
indignation and self-pity, "have found all my studies blurred by thine
image, and the memory of thee woven with all my thoughts. Oh, Morva!
had I known when we were boy and girl together that thou couldst be so
false, I would never have treasured thee in my heart, but would have
turned and fled as Gethin did, instead of clinging to thee, and for thy
sake stopping in the dull old home when the world was all before me.
And now to come home and find that thou art tired of me--art cold to
me, and hast forgotten me! 'Tis a hard fate, indeed!"

"Oh, Will, no, no!" sobbed the girl, "'tis not so; indeed. God knows I
love thee still as much as ever I did. 'Tis only that I have grown
older, and wiser, and sadder perhaps, because it seems that knowing
much brings sorrow with it. I was so young when I made all those
promises."

"Two months younger than thou art now!" scoffed Will.

"Two months is a long time," she said, "when you begin to think, and I
have thought and thought out here at night when the stars are
glittering overhead, when the sea is sighing so sad down below, and
after all my thinking only one thing is plain to me, Will; let there be
no promises between us."

"Never!" said Will, a vindictive feeling rising within him, "never will
I set thee free to marry another man, whoever he is!"

"He is no one," interpolated Morva, in a low voice.

"Whoever he is," repeated Will, as though he had not heard her, "I will
never set thee free, never--never, never!"

All the dogged obstinacy of his nature was roused, and the feeling that
he was a wronged and injured man gave his voice a tone of indignant
passion which told upon the girl's sensitive nature.

"Oh, Will," she said, stretching out her hand towards him, "I did not
think thou loved me like that! I cannot be cruel to thee; thou art a
Garthowen, and for them I have often said I would lay down my life. I
will lay down my life for thee, Will. Once more I promise."

"Nay," he said, laughing, "I will never ask thee to do that for me,
lass; only be true to me and wait patiently for me, Morva;" and he drew
her towards him once more.

"I will," she answered.

They had reached the cottage, and Will passed round into the court,
leaving her standing with eyes fixed steadfastly on the bright north
star.

"I will," she repeated, "for I have promised, and there are many ways
of laying