or any other, for a blur came over both. She was no
fainter; she was strong of mind and body; but the one and the
other were shaken; and for that bit of time, and it was
several minutes, her senses performed no office at all. And
when consciousness of distinct things began to come back,
there came among all her other feelings an odd perverse fear
of shewing the uppermost one or two, and a sort of mortified
unreadiness to strike her colours and yield at once without
having made a bit of fight for it. Yet these were not the
uppermost feelings, but they were there, among them and
struggling with them. She stood quite still, her face hidden
by her sunbonnet, and her companion was quite still too, with
her hand still in his, held in the same free light clasp; and
she had a vexed consciousness of his being far the cooler of
the two. While she was thus silent, however, Elizabeth's head,
and her very figure, was bowed lower and lower with intensity
of feeling.

"What is the matter?" Winthrop said; and the tone of those
words conquered her. The proud Miss Haye made a very humble
answer.

"I am very glad, Mr. Landholm -- but I am not good enough."

"For what?"

But Elizabeth did not answer.

"I will take my risk of that," said he kindly. "Besides, you
have confessed the power of changing."

The risk, or something else, seemed to lie upon Elizabeth's
mind, from the efforts she was making to overcome emotion.
Winthrop observed her for a moment.

"But you have not spoken, yet," said he. "I want a
confirmation of my grant."

She knew from his tone that his mood was the very reverse of
hers; and it roused the struggle again. "Provoking man!" she
thought, "why couldn't he ask me in any other way! -- And why
need he smile when I am crying! --" She commanded herself to
raise her head, however, though she did not dare look.

"Am I to have it?"

"To have what?"

"An answer."

"I don't know what it's to be, Mr. Landholm," Elizabeth
stammered. "What do you want?"

"Will you give me what I asked you for?"

"I thought you knew you had it already," she said, not a
little vexed to have the words drawn from her.

"It is mine, then?"

"Yes --"

"Then," said he, coming in full view of her blushing face and
taking the other hand, -- "what are you troubled for?"

Elizabeth could not have borne it one instant, to meet his
eye, without breaking into a flood of tears she had no hands
to cover. As her only way of escape, sh