confidence as a lover for her pet lamb? She read the letter very
slowly, and then, as she gave it back to Rachel, she groaned.

For nearly half an hour after that nothing was said in the cottage
about the letter. Rachel had perceived that it had not been thought
satisfactory by her mother; but then she was inclined to believe
that her mother would have regarded no letter as satisfactory until
arguments had been used to prove to her that it was so. This, at
any rate, was clear,--must be clear to Mrs. Ray as it was clear to
Rachel,--that Luke had no intention of shirking the fulfilment of his
engagement. And after all, was not that the one thing as to which
it was essentially necessary that they should be confident? Had she
not accepted Luke, telling him that she loved him? and was it not
acknowledged by all around her that such a marriage would be good
for her? The danger which they feared was the expectation of such
a marriage without its accomplishment. Even the forebodings of Mrs.
Prime had shown that this was the evil to which they pointed. Under
these circumstances what better could be wished for than a ready,
quick, warm assurance on Luke's part, that he did intend all that he
had said?

With Rachel now, as with all girls under such circumstances, the
chief immediate consideration was as to the answer which should be
given. Was she to write to him, to write what she pleased; and might
she write at once? She felt that she longed to have the pen in her
hand, and that yet, when holding it, she would have to think for
hours before writing the first word. "Mamma," she said at last,
"don't you think it's a good letter?"

"I don't know what to think, my dear. I doubt whether any letters of
that sort are good for much."

"Of what sort, mamma?"

"Letters from men who call themselves lovers to young girls. It would
be safer, I think, that there shouldn't be any;--very much safer."

"But if he hadn't written we should have thought that he had
forgotten all about us. That would not have been good. You said
yourself that if he did not write soon, there would be an end of
everything."

"A hundred years ago there wasn't all this writing between young
people, and these things were managed better then than they are now,
as far as I can understand."

"People couldn't write so much then," said Rachel, "because there
were no railways and no postage stamps. I suppose I must answer it,
mamma?" To this proposition Mrs. Ray m