don't care whether he comes or not. What I mean is this. When I
was here before, I was told that you were going--to marry him."

"But I wasn't."

"How was I to know that, when you didn't tell me? I certainly did
know it after I came back from Dartmoor." He paused a moment, as
though she might have a word to say. She had no word to say, and
did not in the least know what was coming. She was so far from
anticipating the truth, that she was composed and easy in her mind.
"But all that is of no use at all," he continued. "When I was here
before Miss Stanbury wanted you to marry Mr. Gibson; and, of course,
I had nothing to say about it. Now I want you--to marry me."

"Mr. Burgess!"

"Dorothy, my darling, I love you better than all the world. I do,
indeed." As soon as he had commenced his protestations he became
profuse enough with them, and made a strong attempt to support them
by the action of his hands. But she retreated from him step by step,
till she had regained her chair by the tea-table, and there she
seated herself,--safely, as she thought; but he was close to her,
over her shoulder, still continuing his protestations, offering up
his vows, and imploring her to reply to him. She, as yet, had not
answered him by a word, save by that one half-terrified exclamation
of his name. "Tell me, at any rate, that you believe me, when I
assure you that I love you," he said. The room was going round with
Dorothy, and the world was going round, and there had come upon her
so strong a feeling of the disruption of things in general, that she
was at the moment anything but happy. Had it been possible for her to
find that the last ten minutes had been a dream, she would at this
moment have wished that it might become one. A trouble had come upon
her, out of which she did not see her way. To dive among the waters
in warm weather is very pleasant; there is nothing pleasanter. But
when the young swimmer first feels the thorough immersion of his
plunge, there comes upon him a strong desire to be quickly out again.
He will remember afterwards how joyous it was; but now, at this
moment, the dry land is everything to him. So it was with Dorothy.
She had thought of Brooke Burgess as one of those bright ones of the
world, with whom everything is happy and pleasant, whom everybody
loves, who may have whatever they please, whose lines have been laid
in pleasant places. She thought of him as a man who might some day
make some woman very hap