t nothing new to him?" she said to herself. "Did
he know that it only depended on him to speak? -- or is it his
way with all the world?" It was not that she was undervalued,
or slightly regarded, but valued and regarded with such
unchanged self-possession. Meanwhile they reached the edge of
the woodland, from which the house and garden were to be seen
close at hand.

"Stay here," said Winthrop; -- "I will carry this basket in and
let them know you may be expected to breakfast."

"But if you do that, --" said Elizabeth colouring --

"What then?"

"I don't know what they will think."

"They may think what they have a mind," said he with a little
bit of a smile again. "I want to speak to you."

Elizabeth winced a bit. He was gone, and she stood thinking,
among other things, that he might have asked what _she_ would
like. And how did he know but breakfast was ready then? Or did
he know everything? And how quietly and unqualifiedly, to be
sure, he had taken her consignment that morning. She did not
know whether to like it or not like it, -- till she saw him
coming again from the house.

"After all," said he, "I think we had better go in and take
breakfast, and talk afterwards. It seems to be in a good state
of forwardness."

CHAPTER XVIII.

From eastern quarters now
The sun's up-wandering,
His rays on the rock's brow
And hill-side squandering;
Be glad my soul! and sing amidst thy pleasure,
Fly from the house of dust,
Up with thy thanks and trust
To heaven's azure!
THOMAS KINGO.

It was sufficiently proven at that breakfast, to Elizabeth's
satisfaction, that it is possible for one to be at the same
time both very happy and a little uncomfortable. She had a
degree of consciousness upon her that amounted to that, more
especially as she had a vexed knowledge that it was shared by
at least one person in the room. The line of Clam's white
teeth had never glimmered more mischievously. Elizabeth dared
not look at her. And she dared not look at Winthrop, and she
dared not look at Rose. But Rose, to do her justice, seemed to
be troubled with no consciousness beyond what was usual with
her, and which generally concerned only herself; and she and
Winthrop kept up the spirit of talk with great ease all
breakfast time.

"Now how in the world are we going to get away?" thought
Elizabeth when breakfast was finishing; -- "without saying flat
and bald why we do it. Rose will want to go too, for she likes
Winthrop