for
the day following the revel he asked the hand of Mary Drury in marriage.
Master Drury knew not what to say to this, for all the household had
seen the marked attentions he paid to Maud--attentions which she
repelled with cold disdain.

It had been remarked by many in the village that Mistress Harcourt had
kept aloof as much as possible from the revelry. She had been obliged to
come down with the family, but instead of joining in the sport, she went
about among those who were on the outskirts of the crowd--the mothers
with babies in their arms, widows, whose lives this civil war had made
desolate, and sad-eyed maidens widowed already in heart and affection
through the intolerance of King Charles. Among these, Maud had already
made herself known, and now her rich robes of cherry-colour flowered
satin might be seen in close neighbourhood with the blue serge and
linsey-woolsey petticoats and linen jackets of her poorer neighbours.
The children liked to look at her pretty dress--that of itself was a
show to them--but the sad and sorrowful had began to love her for the
kindly words and sympathy she gave them.

From these she heard that it was whispered she was likely to become
Mistress Stanhope shortly--a rumour that annoyed her exceedingly.
Captain Stanhope, it seems, had heard the same. Some one had ventured to
remark that the bride-elect did not join the dancers, and he resolved to
speak to Maud that very night, and ask her to become his wife, although
he had received so little encouragement to hope for a favourable answer.

On his way back to the Grange, therefore, he contrived to join her, and
in a few words begged her to favour his suit. Maud hardly knew whether
to be angry or sorry, but she contrived to make him understand most
clearly that it was useless to press her on that subject, and begged him
not to allow any one else to know that he had asked her hand.

She need not have feared this. Captain Stanhope was too proud to let any
one know of his rejection, and his chief annoyance arose from the fact
that many had already seen and remarked his preference. Musing on this,
he saw Mary and Bertram at a little distance, and the idea at once
entered his head that this annoyance could be got over by at once
proposing to Mary, when it would be thought he was only playing with
Maud, while in reality he was attached to Mary. So he contrived to
dismiss Bertram from his sister's side, and in a gentle tone begged her
to