way that could annoy her."

"That explains why you have become so well acquainted with the
direction of her walks?"

He coloured deeply. "I hope, Phineas, you do not think that--that in
any way I should intrude on or offend a lady?"

"Nay, don't take it so seriously--indeed, I meant nothing of the kind.
It would be quite natural if a young man like you did use some pains to
look at such a 'cunning piece of Nature's handiwork' as that
apple-cheeked girl of seventeen."

"Russet apple. She is brown, you know--a real 'nut-brown mayde,'" said
John, recovering his gay humour. "Certainly, I like to look at her. I
have seen many a face that was more good-looking--never one that looked
half so good."

"Sententious that;" yet I could not smile--he spoke with such
earnestness. Besides, it was the truth. I myself would have walked
half-way across the common any day for a glance at Miss March. Why not
he?

"But, John, you never told me that you had seen her again!"

"Because you never asked me."

We were silent. Silent until we had walked along the whole length of a
Roman encampment, the most perfect of the various fosses that seamed
the flat--tokens of many a battle fought on such capital battleground,
and which John had this morning especially brought me to look at.

"Yes," I said at last, putting the ending affirmative to a long train
of thought, which was certainly not about Roman encampments; "yes, it
is quite natural that you should admire her. It would even be quite
natural, and not unlikely either, if she--"

"Pshaw!" interrupted he. "What nonsense you are talking! Impossible!"
and setting his foot sharply upon a loose stone, he kicked it down into
the ditch, where probably many a dead Roman had fallen before it in
ages gone by.

The impetuous gesture--the energetic "impossible," struck me less than
the quickness with which his mind had worked out my unexpressed
thought--carrying it to a greater length than I myself had ever
contemplated.

"Truly, no possibilities or impossibilities of THAT sort ever entered
my head. I only thought you might admire her, and be unsettled thereby
as young men are when they take fancies. That would grieve me very
much, John."

"Don't let it then? Why, I have only seen her five times; I never
spoke to her in my life, and most probably never shall do. Could any
one be in a safer position? Besides," and his tone changed to extreme
gravity, "I have too many worldly