youth was drowned--and how the monks moaned;
and he got away to other legends, to the white doe of Rylston, and
Landseer's picture of the abbey in olden times. She had heard nothing
before of these things,--or indeed of such things, and the hearing
them was very sweet to her. The parson, who was still displeased,
went to sleep. Minnie had been sent to bed, and Aunt Julia and Aunt
Jane every now and again put in a word. It was resolved before the
evening was over that the visit should be made to Bolton Abbey. Of
course, their nephew ought to have opportunities of making love to
the girl he was doomed to marry. "Good night, dearest," he said when
she went to bed. She was sure that the last word had been so spoken,
and that no ear but her own had heard it. She could not tell him
that such word should not be spoken; and yet she felt that the word
would be almost as offensive as the kiss to Daniel Thwaite. She must
contrive some means of telling him that she could not, would not,
must not be his dearest.

She had now received two letters from her mother since she had been
at Yoxham, and in each of them there were laid down for her plain
instructions as to her conduct. It was now the middle of August, and
it was incumbent upon her to allow matters so to arrange themselves,
that the marriage might be declared to be a settled thing when the
case should come on in November. Mr. Goffe and Mr. Flick had met
each other, and everything was now understood by the two parties of
lawyers. If the Earl and Lady Anna were then engaged with the mutual
consent of all interested,--and so engaged that a day could be fixed
for the wedding,--then, when the case was opened in court, would the
Solicitor-General declare that it was the intention of Lord Lovel
to make no further opposition to the claims of the Countess and her
daughter, and it would only remain for Serjeant Bluestone to put in
the necessary proofs of the Cumberland marriage and of the baptism
of Lady Anna. The Solicitor-General would at the same time state
to the court that an alliance had been arranged between these
distant cousins, and that in that way everything would be settled.
But,--and in this clause of her instructions the Countess was most
urgent,--this could not be done unless the marriage were positively
settled. Mr. Flick had been very urgent in pointing out to Mr. Goffe
that in truth their evidence was very strong to prove that when
the Earl married the now so-called