vercome with a desperate fondness for
her; so, seeing that the old aunt was sound asleep, I blurted out all
my feelings. I swore that she was the only--"

"Oh, omit all that. I know--but what bosh to say to a sensible girl!"

"Well, you know, Louie held her handkerchief to her face, while I was
speaking, and I--ass, dolt, and idiot that I was--felt convinced that
she was crying. Her frame shook with convulsive shivers, that I took
for repressed sobs. I saw the little hand that held the little white
handkerchief to her face--the same slender little hand that was the
cause of my scrape with Mrs. Finnimore--and, still continuing the
confession of my love, I thought I would soothe her grief. I couldn't
help it. I was fairly carried away. I reached forward my hand, and
tried to take hers, all the time saying no end of spooney things.

"But the moment I touched her baud, she rolled her chair back, and
snatched it away--

"And then she threw back her head--

"And then there came such a peal of musical laughter, that I swear it's
ringing in my ears yet.

"What made it worse was, not merely what she considered the fun of my
proposal, but the additional thought that suddenly flashed upon her,
that I had just now so absurdly mistaken her emotion. For, confound it
all! as I reached out my hand, I said a lot of rubbish, and, among
other things, implored her to let me wipe her tears. This was
altogether too much. Wipe her tears! And, Heavens and earth, she was
shaking to pieces all the time with nothing but laughter. Wipe her
tears! Oh, Macrorie! Did you _ever_ hear of such an ass?

"Well, you know she couldn't get over it for ever so long, but laughed
no end, while I sat utterly amazed at the extent to which I had made an
ass of myself. However, she got over it at last.

"'Well,' said I, 'I hope you feel better.'

"'Thanks, yea; but don't get into a temper. Will you promise to answer
me one question?'

"'Certainly; most happy. If you think it worth while to do any thing
else but laugh at me, I ought to feel flattered.'

"'Now, that's what I call temper, and you must be above such a thing.
After all, I'm only a simple little girl, and you--that is, _it_ was so
awfully absurd.'

"And here she seemed about to burst forth afresh. But she didn't.

"'What I was going to ask,' she began, in a very grave way, 'what I was
going to ask is this, If it is a fair question, how many of these
little entanglements do you happen to h