red to criticise him at all.

Mrs. Dennistoun received him when he came in obedience to her call, as a
child might do who had the power of receiving its future corrector. She
abased herself before him, servilely choosing his favourite subjects,
talking of what she thought would please him, of former times at the
Cottage, of Elinor, and her great affection for Cousin John, and so
forth. I imagine that he had a suspicion of the cause of all this
sweetness. He looked at her suspiciously, though he allowed himself to
be drawn into reminiscences, and to feel a half pleasure, half pain in
the affectionate things that Elinor had said. At length, after some time
had passed, he asked, in a pause of the conversation, "Was this all you
wanted with me, aunt, to talk of old times?"

"Wasn't it a good enough pretext for the pleasure of seeing you, John?"

He laughed a little and shook his head.

"An excellent pretext where none was wanted. It is very kind of you to
think it a pleasure: but you had something also to say?"

"It seems there is no deceiving you, John," she said, and with many
hesitations and much difficulty, told him her story. She saw him begin
to flame. She saw his eyes light up, and Mrs. Dennistoun shook in her
chair. She was not a woman apt to be afraid, but she was frightened now.

Nevertheless, when she had finished her story, John at first spoke no
word: and when he did find a tongue it was only to say,

"You want to get back the money you have on that mortgage. My dear aunt,
why did not you tell me so at once?"

"But I have just told you, John."

"Well, so be it. You know it will take a little time; there are some
formalities that must be gone through. You cannot make a demand on
people in that way to pay you cash at once."

"Oh, I thought it was so easy to get money--on such very good security
and paying such a good adequate rate of interest."

"It is easy," he said, "perfectly easy; but it wants a little time: and
people will naturally wonder, if it is really good security and good
interest, why you should be in such a hurry to get out of it."

"But surely, to say private reasons--family reasons, that will be
enough."

"Oh, there is no occasion for giving any reason at all. You wish to do
it; that is reason enough."

"Yes," said Mrs. Dennistoun, with diffidence, yet also a little
self-assertion, "I think it is enough."

"Of course, of course." But his eyes were flaming, and Mrs. Dennistoun
wou