ht and smiling,--only in the hope that she would
return. As soon as she saw it all, she sat down on her bed and burst
out into tears. Was it not hard upon her that she should be forced
into such ingratitude! Every comfort prepared for her was a coal of
hot fire upon her head. And yet what had she done that she ought not
to have done? Was it unreasonable that she should have loved this
man, when they two were brought together? And had she even dared to
think of him otherwise than as an acquaintance till he had compelled
her to confess her love? And after that had she not tried to separate
herself from him, so that they two,--her aunt and her lover,--might
be divided by no quarrel? Had not Priscilla told her that she was
right in all that she was doing? Nevertheless, in spite of all this,
she could not refrain from accusing herself of ingratitude towards
her aunt. And she began to think it would have been better for her
now to have remained at home, and have allowed Brooke to come alone
to Exeter than to have obeyed the impulse which had arisen from the
receipt of her aunt's letter. When she went down again she found
herself alone in the room, and she was beginning to think that it was
intended that she should go to bed without again seeing her aunt;
but at last Miss Stanbury came to her, with a sad countenance, but
without that look of wrath which Dorothy knew so well. "My dear,"
she said, "it will be better that Mr. Burgess should go up to London
to-morrow. I will see him, of course, if he chooses to come, and
Martha shall meet him at the station and explain it. If you do not
mind, I would prefer that you should not meet him here."

"I meant only to stay one night, aunt."

"That is nonsense. If I am to part with either of you, I will part
with him. You are dearer to me than he is. Dorothy, you do not know
how dear to me you are."

Dorothy immediately fell on her knees at her aunt's feet, and hid her
face in her aunt's lap. Miss Stanbury twined round her fingers the
soft hair which she loved so well,--because it was a grace given by
God and not bought out of a shop,--and caressed the girl's head, and
muttered something that was intended for a prayer. "If he will let
me, aunt, I will give him up," said Dorothy, looking up into her
aunt's face. "If he will say that I may, though I shall love him
always, he may go."

"He is his own master," said Miss Stanbury. "Of course he is his own
master."

"Will you let me retur