o him
in his youth;--but all that was now over. And yet here he was, with
three strings to his bow,--so he told himself,--and he had not as yet
settled for himself the great business of matrimony. He was inclined
to think, as he walked on, that he would walk his life alone, an
active, useful, but a melancholy man. After such experiences as
his, how should he ever again speak of his heart to a woman? During
this walk, his mind recurred frequently to Dorothy Stanbury; and,
doubtless, he thought that he had often spoken of his heart to her.
He was back at his lodgings before three, at which hour he ate an
early dinner, and then took the afternoon cathedral service at four.
The evening he spent at home, thinking of the romance of his early
days. What would Miss Stanbury have said, had she seen him in his
easy chair behind the "Exeter Argus,"--with a pipe in his mouth?

In the meantime, there was an uncomfortable scene in progress between
Dorothy and her aunt. Brooke Burgess, as desired, had left the house
before eleven, having taken upon himself, when consulted, to say in
the mildest terms, that he thought that, in general, young women
should not be asked to marry if they did not like to;--which opinion
had been so galling to Miss Stanbury that she had declared that he
had so scolded her, that she did not know whether she was standing
on her head or her heels. As soon as Mr. Gibson left her, she sat
herself down, and fairly cried. She had ardently desired this thing,
and had allowed herself to think of her desire as of one that would
certainly be accomplished. Dorothy would have been so happy as the
wife of a clergyman! Miss Stanbury's standard for men and women was
not high. She did not expect others to be as self-sacrificing, as
charitable, and as good as herself. It was not that she gave to
herself credit for such virtues; but she thought of herself as one
who, from the peculiar circumstances of life, was bound to do much
for others. There was no end to her doing good for others,--if only
the others would allow themselves to be governed by her. She did not
think that Mr. Gibson was a great divine; but she perceived that he
was a clergyman, living decently,--of that secret pipe Miss Stanbury
knew nothing,--doing his duty punctually, and, as she thought, very
much in want of a wife. Then there was her niece, Dolly,--soft,
pretty, feminine, without a shilling, and much in want of some one
to comfort and take care of her. W