trol over myself; but I
have seen her, and feel that my future happiness depends upon obtaining
her as a wife. Let her father but give me her, and Arnwood will be but
a trifle in addition!"

"With respect to the conditions upon which you are to possess Arnwood,"
said Humphrey, "I can inform you what they are. They are wholly
unshackled, further than that you are to repay by instalments the money
expended in the building of the house. This I am empowered to state to
you, and I think you will allow that Mr Heatherstone has fully acted up
to what he stated were his views when he first obtained a grant of the
property."

"He has, indeed," replied Edward.

"As for his daughter, Edward, you have yet to `win her and wear her,' as
the saying is. Her father will resign the property to you as yours by
right; but you have no property in his daughter, and I suspect that she
will not be quite so easily handed over to you."

"But why should you say so, Humphrey? Have we not been attached from
our youth?"

"Yes, it was a youthful passion, I grant; but recollect, nothing came of
it, and years have passed away. It is now seven years since you quitted
the forest, and in your letters to Mr Heatherstone you made no remark
upon what had passed between you and Patience. Since that, you have
never corresponded or sent any messages; and you can hardly expect that
a girl, from the age of seventeen to twenty-four, will cherish the image
of one who, to say the least, had treated her with indifference. That
is my view of the matter, Edward. It may be wrong."

"And it may be true," replied Edward mournfully.

"Well, my view is different," replied Edith. "You know, Humphrey, how
many offers Patience Heatherstone has had, and has every day, I may say.
Why has she refused them all? In my opinion, because she has been
constant to a proud brother of mine, who does not deserve her!"

"It may be so, Edith," replied Humphrey. "Women are riddles--I only
argued upon the common sense of the thing."

"Much you know about women," replied Edith. "To be sure, you do not
meet many in the New Forest, where you have lived all your life."

"Very true, my dear sister; perhaps that is the reason that the New
Forest has had such charms for me."

"After that speech, sir, the sooner you get back again the better!"
retorted Edith. But Edward made a sign to Humphrey, and they beat a
retreat.

"Have you seen the Intendant, Humphrey?"

"No; I wa