t; much lower than
you, certainly, for I have given no proofs of genius."

"Well--lower than me. That is what you have said, and I do not
believe that you would say so falsely. You would not descend to
flatter me?"

"Certainly not; but--"

"Believe equally of me that I would not flatter you. I have told you
no falsehood as yet, and I have a right to claim your belief. As you
look on me, so do I on you. I look up to you as one whose destiny
must be high. To me there is that about you which forbids me to think
that your path in the world can ever be other than conspicuous. Your
husband, at least, will have to live before the world."

"I shall not have the slightest objection to his doing so; but that,
I think, will depend a great deal more on him than on me."

Bertram was very anxious to say something which might tend towards
the commingling of his destiny with hers. He was hardly yet prepared
to swear that he loved her, and to ask her in good set terms to be
his wife. But he did not like to leave her without learning whether
he had at all touched her heart. He was fully sure now that his own
was not whole.

"Come, Mr. Bertram," said she; "look at the sun, how nearly it is
gone. And you know we have no twilight here. Let us go down; my aunt
will think that we are lost."

"One minute, Miss Waddington; one minute, and then we will go.
Miss Waddington--if you care enough for me to bid me take up any
profession, follow any pursuit, I will obey you. You shall choose for
me, if you will."

She blushed, not deeply, but with a colour sufficiently heightened
to make it visible to him, and with a tingling warmth which made
her conscious of it herself. She would have given much to keep her
countenance, and yet the blush became her greatly. It took away from
the premature firmness of her womanly look, and gave her for the
moment something of the weakness natural to her age.

"You know that is nonsense: on such a subject you must of course
choose for yourself."

Bertram was standing in the path before her, and she could not well
go on till he had made way for her. "No," said he; "thinking as I do
of you, feeling as I do regarding you, it is not nonsense. It would
be absolute nonsense if I said so to your aunt, or to Mrs. Hunter, or
to Miss Jones. I could not be guided by a person who was indifferent
to me. But in this matter I will be guided by you if you will consent
to guide me."

"Of course I shall do no such thing.