owning," said Mr.
Glascock. "Nevertheless, I think I would rather ride a charge against
a Paynim knight in Palestine than get up at half-past four in the
morning."

"We will get up too, and give the knight his coffee," said Nora.
They did get up, and saw him off; and when Mr. Glascock and Caroline
parted with a lover's embrace, Nora stood by as a sister might have
done. Let us hope that she remembered that her own time was coming.

There had been a promise given by Nora, when she left London, that
she would not correspond with Hugh Stanbury while she was in Italy,
and this promise had been kept. It may be remembered that Hugh had
made a proposition to his lady-love, that she should walk out of the
house one fine morning, and get herself married without any reference
to her father's or her mother's wishes. But she had not been willing
to take upon herself as yet independence so complete as this would
have required. She had assured her lover that she did mean to marry
him some day, even though it should be in opposition to her father,
but that she thought that the period for filial persuasion was not
yet over; and then, in explaining all this to her mother, she had
given a promise neither to write nor to receive letters during the
short period of her sojourn in Italy. She would be an obedient child
for so long;--but, after that, she must claim the right to fight her
own battle. She had told her lover that he must not write; and, of
course, she had not written a word herself. But now, when her mother
threw it in her teeth that Stanbury would not be ready to marry her,
she thought that an unfair advantage was being taken of her,--and of
him. How could he be expected to say that he was ready,--deprived as
he was of the power of saying anything at all?

"Mamma," she said, the day before they went to Florence, "has papa
fixed about your leaving England yet? I suppose you'll go now on the
last Saturday in July?"

"I suppose we shall, my dear."

"Has not papa written about the berths?"

"I believe he has, my dear."

"Because he ought to know who are going. I will not go."

"You will not, Nora. Is that a proper way of speaking?"

"Dear mamma, I mean it to be proper. I hope it is proper. But is it
not best that we should understand each other? All my life depends on
my going or my staying now. I must decide."

"After what has passed, you do not, I suppose, mean to live in Mr.
Glascock's house?"

"Certainly not. I me