How can I have any thought now except about her? It wouldn't be
right;--would it?"

"You may say that you love me."

"Mr. Burgess, pray, pray don't speak of it now. If you do I must go
away."

"But do you love me?"

"Pray, pray don't, Mr. Burgess!"

There was nothing more to be got from her during the whole day than
that. He told her in the evening that as soon as Miss Stanbury was
well, he would come again;--that in any case he would come again. She
sat quite still as he said this, with a solemn face,--but smiling at
heart, laughing at heart, so happy! When she got up to leave him, and
was forced to give him her hand, he seized her in his arms and kissed
her. "That is very, very wrong," she said, sobbing, and then ran to
her room,--the happiest girl in all Exeter. He was to start early on
the following morning, and she knew that she would not be forced to
see him again. Thinking of him was so much pleasanter than seeing
him!

CHAPTER LII.

MR. OUTHOUSE COMPLAINS THAT IT'S HARD.

Life had gone on during the winter at St. Diddulph's Parsonage in a
dull, weary, painful manner. There had come a letter in November from
Trevelyan to his wife, saying that as he could trust neither her nor
her uncle with the custody of his child, he should send a person
armed with due legal authority, addressed to Mr. Outhouse, for the
recovery of the boy, and desiring that little Louis might be at once
surrendered to the messenger. Then of course there had arisen great
trouble in the house. Both Mrs. Trevelyan and Nora Rowley had learned
by this time that, as regarded the master of the house, they were not
welcome guests at St. Diddulph's. When the threat was shewn to Mr.
Outhouse, he did not say a word to indicate that the child should be
given up. He muttered something, indeed, about impotent nonsense,
which seemed to imply that the threat could be of no avail; but there
was none of that reassurance to be obtained from him which a positive
promise on his part to hold the bairn against all comers would have
given. Mrs. Outhouse told her niece more than once that the child
would be given to no messenger whatever; but even she did not give
the assurance with that energy which the mother would have liked.
"They shall drag him away from me by force if they do take him!" said
the mother, gnashing her teeth. Oh, if her father would but come!
For some weeks she did not let the boy out of her sight; but when no
messenger had pre