of hers. "Will you?"

There was a moment's pause, in which the whole world seemed to stand
quite still and wait for her answer.

"Yes," she said at last, "I will."

"I am glad I did it," she said to herself, half an hour later, as she
leaned her tired head against the carved oak chimney-piece in her
bedroom, and absently traced with her finger the Latin inscription over
the fireplace. "I like him very much. I am glad I did it."

CHAPTER XVI.

For many years nothing had given Mr. Alwynn such heart-felt pleasure as
the news Ruth had to tell him, as he drove her back next morning to
Slumberleigh, behind Mrs. Alwynn's long-tailed ponies.

It was a still September morning, with a faint pearl sky and half-veiled
silver sun. Pale gleams of sunshine wandered across the busy harvest
fields, and burnished the steel of the river.

Decisions of any kind rarely look their best after a sleepless night;
but as Ruth saw the expression of happiness and relief that came into
her uncle's face, when she told him what had happened, she felt again
that she was glad--very glad.

"Oh, my dear! my dear!"--Mr. Alwynn was driving the ponies first against
the bank, and then into the opposite ditch--"how glad I am; how
thankful! I had almost hoped, certainly; I wished so much to think it
possible; but then, one can never tell. Poor Dare! poor fellow! I used
to be so sorry for him. And how much you will be able to do at Vandon
among the people. It will be a different place. And it is such a relief
to think that the poor old house will be looked after. It went to my
heart to see the way it had been neglected. I ventured this morning, as
I was down early, to move some of that dear old Worcester farther back
into the cabinet. They really were so near the edge, I could not bear to
see them; and I found a Sevres saucer, my dear, in the library that
belonged to one of those beautiful cups in the drawing-room. I hope it
was not very wrong, but I had to put it among its relations. It was
sitting with a Delf mug on it, poor thing. Dear me! I little thought
then--Really, I have never been so glad about anything before."

After a little more conversation, and after Mr. Alwynn had been
persuaded to give the reins to his niece, who was far more composed than
himself, his mind reverted to his wife.

"I think, my dear, until your engagement is more settled, till I have
had a talk with Dare on the subject (which will be necessary before you
wr