would not watch me so closely if you did not love
me--a little."

"Not a little, Miss Bartley."

"Mary, please."

"Mary. I have seen you a sickly child; I have been anxious--who would
not? I have seen you grow in health and strength, and every virtue."

"And seen me tumble into the water and frighten you out of your senses,
and there's nothing one loves like a downright pest, especially if she
loves us; and I do love you, Mr. Hope, dearly, dearly, and I promise to
be a pest to you all your days. Ah, here he comes at last." She made two
eager steps to meet him, then she said, "Oh! I forgot," and came back
again and looked prodigiously demure and innocent.

Walter came on with his usual rush, crying, "Mary, how good of you!"

Mary put her fingers in her ears. "No, no, no; we are forbidden to
communicate." Then, imitating a stiff man of business--for she was a
capital mimic when she chose--"any communication you may wish to honor me
with must be addressed to this gentleman, Mr. Hope; he will convey it to
me, and it shall meet with all the attention it deserves."

Walter laughed, and said, "That's ingenious."

"Of course it is ingenuous," said Mary, subtly. "That's my character
to a fault."

"Well, young people," said Hope, "I am not sure that I have time to
repeat verbal communications to keen ears that heard them. And I think I
can make myself more useful to you. Walter, your father has set his
lawyer on to Mr. Bartley, and what is the consequence? Mr. Bartley
forbids Mary to speak to you, and the next thing will be a summons,
lawsuit, and a great defeat, and loss to your father and you. Mr. Bartley
sent me the lawyer's letter. He hopes to get out of a clear contract by
pleading a surprise. Now you must go to the lawyer--it is no use arguing
with your father in his present heat--and you must assure him there has
been no surprise. Why, I called on Colonel Clifford years ago, and told
him there was coal on that farm; and I almost went on my knees to him to
profit by it."

"You don't say that, Mr. Hope?"

"I do say it, and I shall have to swear it. You may be sure Mr. Bartley
will subpoena me, if this wretched squabble gets into court."

"But what did my father say to you?"

"He was kind and courteous to me. I was poor as a rat, and dusty with
travel--on foot; and he was a fine gentleman, as he always is, when he is
not in too great a passion. He told me more than one land-owner had
wasted money in this count