y child," he said, with unwonted tenderness, "why hast thou been
keeping a secret from thy mother and me?"

Kate started and drew her hand away, moving a pace farther off, and
regarding her father with wide open, dilated eyes.

"A secret!" she faltered, and grew very pale.

Sir Richard smiled, and would have taken her hand once more, but
that she glided from his reach, still watching him with an
expression he found it hard to read. Her mother laid down her
embroidery, and studied her face with a look of aroused uneasiness;
but the father was utterly without suspicion of approaching any
hidden peril, and continued in the same kindly tones.

"Nay, now, my girl, thou needest not fear!" he said. "All young
maidens give their hearts away in time; and so as thou givest thine
worthily, neither thy father nor thy mother will chide."

Kate gave one or two gasps, and then spoke with impassioned
earnestness.

"O father, I could not help it! I strove against it as long as I
might. I feared it was a thing that must not be. But love was too
strong. I could not fight for ever."

"Tut--tut, child! why shouldest thou fight? Why didst thou not
speak to thy mother? Girls may breathe a secret into a mother's ear
that is not to be spoke elsewhere. Thou shouldest have told her,
child, and have spared thyself much weary misery."

Kate's head was hung very low; neither parent could see her face.

"I did not dare," she answered softly; "I knew that I was wrong. I
feared to speak."

"Thou art a strange mixture of courage and fear, my saucy Kate. I
would once have vowed that thou wouldst fear not to speak aloud
every thought of thy heart. But love changes all, I ween, and makes
sad cowards of the boldest of us. And so thou didst wait till he
declared his love, and fretted out thy heart in silence the while?"

Kate lifted her head and looked at her father, a faint perplexity
in her eyes.

"Nay, I ever knew he loved me. It was that I feared thy
displeasure, my father. I had heard thee say--"

"Nothing against Sir Robert, I warrant me," cried Sir Richard
heartily; whilst Kate took one backward step and exclaimed:

"Methought Sir Robert was Cecilia's lover! Why speak you to me of
him, my father?"

Sir Richard rose to his feet in great perplexity, looking at his
wife, who was pale and agitated.

"Cecilia's lover--what meanest thou, child?" he asked quickly. "I
was speaking to thee of thine own lover. Sir Robert would fain wed
wit