No sleep approached his eyelids--it seemed to him that he must not hope
to lose consciousness again--that never even for an instant would that
crushing sorrow and that mad craving for the lost woman leave him at
rest.

CHAPTER LXX.

ALMOST A PROPOSAL.

In the basement story of Piney Cove, the absence of Mrs. Mellen was a
continued source of curiosity. But for once, that part of the household
had little but conjecture to go upon; so after a time, curiosity died
out and the selfish element rose uppermost, especially with the mulatto,
Dolf, who had not yet found out the sum total of Clorinda's fortune.

The night after Mrs. Mellen's disappearance, there had been an anxious
meeting in the neighborhood, at which Elder Spotts had held forth with
peculiar eloquence, and Clorinda had been wonderfully loud in her
responses, a state of things which filled Dolf with serious perplexity;
in fact, it had been a very anxious meeting to him. After their return
home, that young gentleman lingered in the basement, looking so
miserable that Clorinda asked the cause.

"Yer knows," said Dolf, prolonging the situation as much as possible, in
the hope that some bright thought would strike him by which the
conversation might be led round to the subject uppermost in his worldly
mind; "yer knows very well."

"Why, yer's making me out jis' a witch."

"No, Miss Clorindy, no; don't say dem keerless tings--don't! I ain't a
makin' you nothin', only de most charmin' and de most cruel of yer
sect."

If Clo did not blush it was only because nature had deprived her of the
dangerous privilege, but she fell into a state of sweet confusion that
was beautiful to behold.

"Dar ye go agin," said she; "now quit a callin' me witches and sich, or
else say why?"

"Didn't I see you dis berry even'?" said Dolf.

"In course ye did; we was to Mrs. Hopkins's when de meeting was ober."

"And wasn't Elder Spotts dar, too?"

"In course he was; yer knows it well enough."

"I knows it too well," said Dolf. "Dar's whar de coquettations comes in;
dat's jis' de subjec' I'm 'proachin' yer wid."

"Me!" cried Clo, in delightful innocence. "Laws, I didn't know yer even
looked at me; I tought ye was fascinated wid dat Vic."

"I'se neber too busy to reserve you, Miss Clorindy," said Dolf;
"wherever I may be, whatever my ockipation, I'se eyes fur you. And I
seed you; I seed de elder a bending over ye, a whisperin' in yer ear."

"Oh, git out!" cried C