nlight night we had serenades
without number, and soft strains sung in a deep, rich voice, so that
what with flowers, music, notes and very expressive looking and
sighing, the prospect was all but shut out for poor Mr. Gardner, and
opening an interminable vista for Randolph.

"Weeks went on--oh, I forgot; in the meantime Mr. Gardner wrote two
letters, one to Mr. Dunbar about Mary, and one to Mary herself, but
not much about her. It was mostly a business letter, written in a
calm, friendly style, and asking her opinion about some alterations he
proposed making in the house, adding a wing, I think. He seemed to
consider her a person who had a right to be consulted in his
arrangements, and I remember he finished his letter with 'Yours, &c.'
Mary handed the letter to me with a look of extreme vexation, which at
length subsided into a hearty laugh. I laughed too, but Mr. Dunbar did
not, and looked rather surprised at us.

"In the course of four weeks from the time of our return, this ardent
lover appeared in person. He drove up to the door in a very handsome
carriage, and with his servant, all looking very stylish. I saw Mary
color extremely, but she sat quite still, and when Mr. Gardner entered
and went toward her holding out his hand, she remained in her place,
and did not move her hand at all. He shook hands with the rest of us.
Mary made tea, and one or two persons coming in, Mr. Gardner became
rather animated, and appeared as he was, a very gentlemanly,
intelligent person. At last Mary could bear it no longer. She ran out
of the room and went up to her chamber. She shared hers with me, and
Mr. Gardner's was adjoining ours. It was rather late, between ten and
eleven o'clock, and presently Mr. Gardner, who was somewhat fatigued,
bade us good-night and ascended to his own apartment. I then went to
Mary's room: I found her in a state of great excitement and
indignation, and yet though I sympathized fully with her, there was
something so comical in the business-like way of doing the thing,
which Mr. Gardner had adopted, and his entire unconsciousness of the
sort of person he was to deal with, that I began to laugh heartily.

"'Hush! hush! for Heaven's sake! he can hear every word! Oh, my
heart!--do you believe, he has come up stairs and gone straight to
bed, and is this minute fast asleep! there--hear him! don't laugh!
he'll wake as sure as you do!'

"But laugh I did, for I could not help it, albeit Mary's pallid face
a