orthwestern winds that stripped the last leaves from the
bare trees, and covered the ground with snow and bound up the streams
with ice, and drove the birds to the South, the lovers withdrew within
doors, and spent many hours beside the humble cottage fireside.

Here for the first time Herman had ample opportunity of finding out how
very poor the sisters really were, and how very hard one of them at
least worked.

And from the abundance of his own resources he would have supplied their
wants and relieved them from this excess of toil, but that there was a
reserve of honest pride in these poor girls that forbade them to accept
his pressing offers.

"But this is my own family now," said Herman. "Nora is my wife and
Hannah is my sister-in-law, and it is equally my duty and pleasure to
provide for them."

"No, Herman! No, dear Herman! we cannot be considered as your family
until you publicly acknowledge us as such. Dear Herman, do not think me
cold or ungrateful, when I say to you that it would give me pain and
mortification to receive anything from you, until I do so as your
acknowledged wife," said Nora.

"You give everything--you give your hand, your heart, yourself! and you
will take nothing," said the young man sadly.

"Yes, I take as much as I give! I take your hand, your heart, and
yourself in return for mine. That is fair; but I will take no more until
as your wife I take the head of your establishment," said Nora proudly.

"Hannah, is this right? She is my wife; she promised to obey me, and she
defies me--I ask you is this right?"

"Yes, Mr. Brudenell. When she is your acknowledged wife, in your house,
then she will obey and never 'defy' you, as you call it; but now it is
quite different; she has not the shield of your name, and she must take
care of her own self-respect until you relieve her of the charge," said
the elder sister gravely.

"Hannah, you are a terrible duenna! You would be an acquisition to some
crabbed old Spaniard who had a beautiful young wife to look after! Now I
want you to tell me how on earth my burning up that old loom and wheel,
and putting a little comfortable furniture in this room, and paying you
sufficient to support you both, can possibly hurt her self-respect?"
demanded Herman.

"It will do more than that! it will hurt her character, Mr. Brudenell;
and that should be as dear to you as to herself."

"It is! it is the dearest thing in life to me! But how should what I
propo