ould. I know you are not happy
as you are."

"Happy!"

"You are looking wretchedly ill, too. I know all this is wearing you.
Take my advice, Caroline, and write to him."

"There are two reasons against it, aunt; two strong reasons."

"What reasons, love?"

"In the first place, I love him." Aunt Mary sighed. She had no other
answer but a sigh to give to this. "And in the next place, I have no
right to ask anything of him."

"Why not, Caroline?"

"He made his request to me, and I refused it. Had I consented to
marry him last year, all this would have been different. I intended
to do right, and even now I do not think that I was wrong. But I
cannot impute fault to him. He does all this in order that I may
impute it, and that then he may have his revenge."

Nothing more was said on the matter at that time, and things went on
for awhile again in the same unsatisfactory state.

Early in the summer, Miss Waddington and her aunt went up for a few
weeks to London. It had been Miss Baker's habit to spend some days at
Hadley about this time of the year. She suggested to Caroline, that
instead of her doing so, they should both go for a week or so to
London. She thought that the change would be good for her niece, and
she thought also, though of this she said nothing, that Caroline
would see something of her lover. If he were not to be given up, it
would be well--so Miss Baker thought--that this marriage should be
delayed no longer. Bertram was determined to prove that marriage was
necessary to tame him; he had proved it--at any rate to Miss Baker's
satisfaction. There would now be money enough to live on, as uncle
Bertram's two thousand pounds had been promised for this summer. On
this little scheme Miss Baker went to work.

Caroline made no opposition to the London plan. She said nothing
about George in connection with it; but her heart was somewhat
softened, and she wished to see him.

Miss Baker therefore wrote up for rooms. She would naturally,
one would say, have written to George, but there were now little
jealousies and commencements of hot blood even between them. George,
though still Caroline's engaged lover, was known to have some bitter
feelings, and was believed perhaps by Miss Baker to be more bitter
than he really was. So the lodgings were taken without any reference
to him. When they reached town they found that he was abroad.

Then Miss Waddington was really angry. They had no right, it is
true, to