orn brother,
a very simple gentleman!
WINTER'S TALE.

Poor Winnie held to her resolution, though half unconsciously
and quite involuntarily. She did not enjoy her ride, and
therefore did not seem to enjoy it; for it was not in her
nature to seem other than she was. Neither did she take or
shew any but a very qualified pleasure in Miss Haye's company;
and for this reason or for others Miss Haye made her visits
few.

But this did not a bit help the main question; and in the want
of data and the absence of all opportunity for making
observations, Winnie had full chance to weary herself with
fancies and fears. She could not get courage enough to say
anything about Miss Haye again to her brother; and he never
spoke of her. There was no change in him; he was always as
careful of his little sister; always bestowed his time upon
her in the same way; was always at home in the evenings.
Unless when, very rarely, he made an arrangement that she
should spend one with Mrs. Nettley and Mr. Inchbald. These
times were seldom; and Winnie generally knew where he was
going and that it was not to Mr. Haye's. But she was not sure
of the integrity of her possession of him; and that want of
security opened the sluice-gates to a flood-tide of wearisome
possibilities; and Winnie's nervous and morbid sensibilities
made the most of them. It was intolerable, to think that
Winthrop should love anybody as he did her; that he should
love anybody _better_, happily for Winnie, never entered her
imaginings. She could not endure to think that those lips,
which were to her the sweetest of earthly things, should touch
any other cheek or mouth but her own. They were _hers_. It was
bitter as wormwood to think that his strong arm could ever
hold and guide another as it held and guided his little
sister. "But _guide?_ -- _she'd_ never let him guide her!" -- said
Winnie in a great fit of sisterly indignation. And her
thoughts would tumble and toss the matter about, till her
cheek was in a flush; she was generally too eager to cry. It
wore upon her; she grew thinner and more haggard; but nobody
knew the cause and no one could reach the remedy.

With all this the end of summer came, and Rufus. He came to
establish himself under Mr. Haye's direction. "For the time,"
-- as Winthrop told Winnie, when she asked him if Rufus was
going to turn merchant. And when she asked him further "what
for?" -- he answered that Rufus was a spice merchant and dealt
in va