d. Ale upon this! My head was lost. "Why don't it last for ever?"
says I. "I wish it did," says she. The naivete enraptured me. "Oooo!"
I cried, hugging her, and then, you know, there was no course open to a
man of honour but to offer marriage and make a lady of her. I proposed:
she accepted me, and here I am, eternally tied to this accurst insignia,
if I'm to keep my promise! Isn't that a sacrifice, friend H.? There's
no course open to me. The poor girl is madly in love. She called me a
"rattle!" As a gentleman, I cannot recede.'

Evan got up and burst into damnable laughter at this burlesque of
himself. Telling the fellow the service he required, and receiving a
groaning assurance that the letter should, without loss of time, be
delivered in proper style, the egoist, as Jack heartily thought him,
fell behind his; knitted brows, and, after musing abstractedly, went
forth to light upon his fate.

But a dread of meeting had seized both Rose and Evan. She had exhausted
her first sincerity of unbelief in her interview with Juliana: and he
had begun to consider what he could say to her. More than the three
words 'I did it,' would not be possible; and if she made him repeat
them, facing her truthful eyes, would he be man enough to strike her
bared heart twice? And, ah! the sullen brute he must seem, standing
before her dumb, hearing her sigh, seeing her wretched effort not to
show how unwillingly her kind spirit despised him. The reason for the
act--she would ask for that! Rose would not be so philosophic as her
mother. She would grasp at every chance to excuse the deed. He cried
out against his scheming sister in an agony, and while he did so,
encountered Miss Carrington and Miss. Bonner in deep converse. Juliana
pinched her arm, whereupon Miss Carrington said: 'You look merry this
morning, Mr. Harrington': for he was unawares smiling at the image
of himself in the mirror of John Raikes. That smile, transformed to a
chuckling grimace, travelled to Rose before they met.

Why did she not come to him?

A soft voice at his elbow made his blood stop. It was Caroline. She
kissed him, answering his greeting: 'Is it good morning?'

'Certainly,' said he. 'By the way, don't forget that the coach leaves
early.'

'My darling Evan! you make me so happy. For it was really a mistaken
sense of honour. For what can at all excuse a falsehood, you know,
Evan!'

Caroline took his arm, and led him into the sun, watching his face at
tim