d; "but
my advice is, that you appear to make love--to pay attentions
to--somebody else for a short time."

"Attentions, ma'am?"

"Seem to like some other lady better than Redbud."

"Oh, but that would not be right."

"Why?"

"Because I don't."

Miss Sallianna smiled.

"I don't want you to change at all, Mr. Verty," she said; "only to
take this _modus addendi_, which is the Greek for _way_,--to take this
way to find out. I would not advise it, of course, if it was wrong,
and it is the best thing you could do, indeed."

Verty strongly combated this plan, but was met at every turn, by Miss
Sallianna, with ready logic; and the result, as is almost always the
case when men have the temerity to argue with ladies, was a total
defeat. Verty was convinced, or _talked obtuse_ upon the subject, and
with many misgivings, acquiesced in Miss Sallianna's plan.

That lady then went on in a sly and careful manner--possibly
_diplomatic_ would be the polite word--to suggest herself as the most
proper object of Verty's experiment. He might make love to her if he
wished--she would not be offended. He might even kiss her hand, and
kneel to her, and perform any other gallant ceremony he fancied--she
would make allowances, and not become angry if he even proceeded so
far as to write her billet-doux, and ask her hand in a matrimonial
point of view. Miss Sallianna wound up by saying, that it would be an
affair of rare and opprobrious interest; and, as a comedy, would be
positively deleterious, which was probably a _lapsus linguae_ for
"delicious."

So when Verty rose to take his departure, he was a captive to Miss
Sallianna's bow and spear; or more accurately, to her fan and tongue:
and had promised to come on the very next day, after school hours, and
commence the amusing trial of Reddy's affections. The lady tapped him
with her fan, smiled languidly, and rolled up her eyes--Verty bowed,
and took his leave of her.

He mounted Cloud, and calling Longears, took his way sadly toward
town. Could he not look back and see those tender eyes following him
from the lattice of Redbud's room--and blessing him?

CHAPTER XXIV.

OF THE EFFECT OF VERTY'S VIOLIN-PLAYING UPON MR. RUSHTON.

The young man had just reached the foot of the hill, upon which the
Bower of Nature stood--have we not mentioned before the name which
Miss Sallianna had bestowed upon the seminary?--when he heard himself
accosted by a laughing and careless voice,