ere appeared to be no ground of refusal,
except a strong disinclination to enter the wedded state. "I believe
there is no one she likes as well as you; and, as for myself, I know no
gentleman to whom I would so gladly confide my daughter's happiness,"
etc., etc.

He handed this letter to his daughter to read, but she refused. "I have
implicit confidence in you," said she.

Mr. Coventry acknowledged receipt of the letter, thanked Mr. Carden for
the kind and feeling way in which he had inflicted the wound, and said
that he had a verbal communication to make before he could quite drop
the matter; would be down in about a fort-night.

Soon after this Grace dined with Mrs. Little: and, the week after that,
Henry contrived to meet her at a ball, and, after waiting patiently some
time, he waltzed with her.

This waltz was another era in their love. It was an inspired whirl of
two lovers, whose feet hardly felt the ground, and whose hearts bounded
and thrilled, and their cheeks glowed, and their eyes shot fire; and
when Grace was obliged to stop, because the others stopped, her elastic
and tense frame turned supple and soft directly, and she still let her
eyes linger on his, and her hand nestle in his a moment: this, and a
faint sigh of pleasure and tenderness, revealed how sweet her partner
was to her.

Need I say the first waltz was not the last? and that evening they were
more in love than ever, if possible.

Mr. Coventry came down from London, and, late that evening, he and Mr.
Carden met at the Club.

Mr. Carden found him in an arm-chair, looking careworn and unhappy,
and felt quite sorry for him. He hardly knew what to say to him; but
Coventry with his usual grace relieved him; he rose, and shook hands,
and even pressed Mr. Carden's hand, and held it.

Mr. Carden was so touched, that he pressed his hand in return, and said,
"Courage! my poor fellow; the case is not desperate, you know."

Mr. Coventry shook his head, and sat down. Mr. Carden sat down beside
him.

"Why, Coventry, it is not as if there was another attachment."

"There IS another attachment; at least I have too much reason to fear
so. But you shall judge for yourself. I have long paid my respectful
addresses to Miss Carden, and I may say without vanity that she used
to distinguish me beyond her other admirers; I was not the only one who
thought so; Mr. Raby has seen us together, and he asked me to meet her
at Raby Hall. There I became more parti