ans
equally delighted. Had the whole thing fallen out in a different way,
she would probably have looked on a marriage with Luke Rowan as good
and salutary for her sister. At any rate, seeing that the world is
as it is, and that all men cannot be hard-working ministers of the
Gospel, nor all women the wives of such or their assistants in godly
ministrations, she would not have taken upon herself to oppose such
a marriage. But as it was, she had resolved that Luke Rowan was a
black sheep; that he was pitch, not to be touched without defilement;
that he was, in short, a man to be regarded by religious people as
anathema,--a thing accursed; and of that idea she was not able to
divest herself suddenly. Why had the young man walked about under the
churchyard elms at night? Why, if he were not wicked and abandoned,
did he wear that jaunty look,--that look which was so worldly? And,
moreover, he went to balls, and tempted others to do the like! In a
word, he was a young man manifestly of that class which was esteemed
by Mrs. Prime more dangerous than roaring lions. It was not possible
that she should give up her opinion merely because this roaring lion
had come out to her mother with a plausible story. Upon her at that
moment fell the necessity of forming a judgment to which it would be
necessary that she should hereafter abide. She must either at once
give in her adherence to the Rowan alliance; or else, if she opposed
it, she must be prepared to cling to that opposition. She was aware
that some such decision was now required, and paused for a moment
before she declared herself. But that moment only strengthened her
verdict against Rachel's lover. Could any serious young man have
taken off his hat with the flippancy which had marked that action
on his part? Would not any serious young man, properly intent on
matrimonial prospects, have been subdued at such a moment to a more
solemn deportment? Mrs. Prime's verdict was still against him, and
that verdict she proceeded to pronounce.

"Oh, very well; then of course I shall interfere no further. I
shouldn't have thought that Rachel's seeing him twice, in such a way
as that, too--hiding under the churchyard trees!"

"I wasn't hiding," said Rachel, "and you've no business to say so."
Her tears, however, prevented her from fighting her own battle
manfully, or with her usual courage.

"It looked very much like it, Rachel, at any rate. I should have
thought that mother would have