s happiness, and unable to sympathize with his
feelings. The fact was, that though he had resolved that duty and his
circumstances required him to remain single, nevertheless, he had at
the bottom of his heart a sort of wish that Adela should be in love
with him. He had his wish; but he was not sharp enough to discover
that he had it. "I never thought her unfeeling before," said he to
himself. "But all the world is alike. Well; as it is, it does not
signify; but it might have been that I should have half broken my
heart to find her so unfeeling.--More cause for thankfulness than
complaint! Yes; that is true of us all. But it was unfriendly, nay
unfeminine in her to say so when she must have known how much I was
giving up." And so he walked on complaining; understanding perhaps
accurately the wants of his own heart, but being quite in the dark as
to the wants of that other heart.

But his grief, his discontent was mild in comparison with hers. She
shook hands with him when he went, and endeavoured to say her last
word of farewell in her usual tone; nay, for a few minutes after his
departure she retained her seat calmly, fearing that he possibly
might return; but then, when the door had closed on him, and she had
seen him from her window passing across the lawn, then her spirits
gave way, and bitterly she made her moan.

What was this that he had said to her? He would not marry because
he had his mother and sisters to support. Would not she have helped
to support them? Would not she have thrown in her lot with his for
better or for worse, let that lot have been ever so poor? And could
it be possible that he had not known this--had not read her heart
as she had read his? Could it be that he had come there day after
day, looking to her for love, and sympathy, and kindness--that sort
of kindness which a man demands from no one but her he loves, and
which no one can give him unless she loves him? Could it be that he
had done this and then thought that it all meant nothing? that the
interchange of such feelings had no further signification?

Money! Had she asked about his money in those days when his father
still lived, when there was no question of this living belonging
to him? She would have waited for him for years had years been
necessary, even though they should be counted by tens and tens. Nay,
she would have been contented to wait, even though that waiting
should never have been rewarded, had he given her the privile