cular in my attentions, and those
attentions, sir, were well received."

"But were they UNDERSTOOD? that is the question."

"Understood and received, upon my honor."

"Then she will marry you, soon or late: for I'm sure there is no other
man. Grace was never deceitful."

"All women are deceitful."

"Oh, come!"

"Let me explain: all women, worthy of the name, are cowards; and
cowardice drives them to deceit, even against their will. Pray bear me
to an end. On the fifth of last December, I took Miss Carden to the top
of Cairnhope hill. I showed her Bollinghope in the valley, and asked her
to be its mistress."

"And what did she say? Yes, or no?"

"She made certain faint objections, such as a sweet, modest girl like
her makes as a matter of course, and then she yielded."

"What! consented to be your wife?"

"Not in those very words; but she said she esteemed me, and she knew I
loved her; and, when I asked her whether I might speak to you, she said
'Yes.'"

"But that was as good as accepting you."

"I am glad you agree with me. You know, Mr. Carden, thousands have been
accepted in that very form. Well, sir, the next thing was we were caught
in that cursed snow-storm."

"Yes, she has told me all about that."

"Not all, I suspect. We got separated for a few minutes, and I found her
in an old ruined church, where a sort of blacksmith was working at his
forge. I found her, sir, I might say almost in the blacksmith's arms. I
thought little of that at first: any man has a right to succor any woman
in distress: but, sir, I discovered that Miss Carden and this man were
acquaintances: and, by degrees, I found, to my horror, that he had a
terrible power over her."

"What do you mean, sir? Do you intend to affront us?"

"No. And, if the truth gives you pain, pray remember it gives me
agony. However, I must tell you the man was not what he looked, a mere
blacksmith; he is a sort of Proteus, who can take all manner of shapes:
at the time I'm speaking of, he was a maker of carving tools. Well, sir,
you could hardly believe the effect of this accidental interview with
that man: the next day, when I renewed my addresses, Miss Carden evaded
me, and was as cold as she had been kind: she insisted on it she was not
engaged to me, and said she would not marry anybody for two years; and
this, I am sorry to say, was not her own idea, but this Little's; for I
overheard him ask her to wait two years for him."

"Little! What,