her longingly, as if pleading for a closer kiss.

But she smiled and shook her head, saying, archly:

"Remember--remember, if I come here to see you, you must treat me with
some respectful reserve, or I will never come again."

"I will do exactly as you wish. I am your slave, and can do no otherwise
than as you bid me," he said, with a sigh.

"That is a good, dear boy!" she answered, patting his cheeks; and then
adding, archly, "A few days, you know, and 'the tables will be turned.'
It will then be _you_ who will have the right to command, and some one
else who must obey."

As the Circe murmured these words, his color went and came, and when she
ceased he panted out his answer:

"Oh, the thought of ever having you for my own is--too much rapture to
be credited! But, Mary, my queen Mary, then and ever I shall be your
slave as now!"

"Well, we'll see," she murmured, smiling and caressing him. "But now I
am tired and hungry, and you are forgetting the duties of a host."

"I am forgetting everything in looking at your beautiful face. But now,
will you let me take off your bonnet and shawl here, or will you go into
the next room and do it for yourself, I remaining here until you come
back?"

"I will go into the next room, if you please," said Mary Grey.

And he arose and opened the back door of the cottage parlor and held it
open for her.

She passed through into a prettily-furnished and well-lighted little
bed-room, whose back windows opened upon the fragrant flower-garden.

Here she found everything prepared for her comfort, as if it had been
done by the hands of a woman. She took off her bonnet and shawl,
brushed her clothes, bathed her face and hands, smoothed her raven
ringlets, took a fresh cambric handkerchief from her pocket and
saturated it with Cologne from the toilet-table, and then passed out
again into the parlor.

Her devoted slave was waiting for her there. And on the table, in
addition to the other comforts, there was a little silver pot of rich
aromatic coffee.

"Why, have you a cook?" inquired Mrs. Grey, in some disturbance.

"No, darling; I made that coffee myself. Sit down now and try it,"
smiled the poor fellow.

"You are a jewel!" she said, as all her disturbance disappeared, and she
sat down to the table.

He waited on her with affectionate solicitude, helping her to coffee and
cream, to chicken salad and pickled oysters; changing her plate and
pressing her to try the jellies and