ion which she had had since dollhood, the little
scraps from her favourite poets, which she had copied out and kept in
this sacred repository, never revealing them save to sympathising eyes.
How angry she was with me once, for not thinking, with her, that
Longfellow's "Psalm of Life" was the "nicest" thing ever written:--what
a long time it was afterwards before she would again allow me to inspect
her secret treasures and pet things, as she had previously permitted me
to do!

This all used to go on while her mother was playing; and then, when the
workbox was arranged in apple-pie order, Min herself would go to the
piano and sing my favourite ballads, I listening to her from the
opposite corner of the room, for she hated having her music turned over
by any one.

In addition to these rare opportunities of studying my darling and
feeding my love for her, I used to see her at church every Sunday.

From her window, also, when dog Catch and I took our walks abroad, I
often had a bright smile from "somebody," who happened always to be
tending her cherished plants just at the moment when I passed by.

Sometimes, too, I met her at Miss Pimpernell's, or out walking:--thus,
in a short time, I learnt to know all her little plans and wishes, and
her sentiments about everything.

Her likes and dislikes were my own. It was a strange coincidence, that
if Min should express some opinion one day, I found, when we next met,
that I seemed to have involuntarily come round to her view; while, if I
let fall any casual remark, Min was certain, on some future occasion, to
repeat it as if it were her own.

I suppose the coincidence was owing to our mental "rapport," as the
French express it.

The only drawback to my happiness, was Mr Mawley, whom I disliked now
more than ever.

Although he had all the rest of the week in which to pay his devoirs,
having carte blanche from Mrs Clyde to run in and out of her house
whenever he so pleased--he took it into his head to drop in regularly on
the very evening that I had selected and thought especially mine. I
believe he only did it to spite me, being of a most aggravating
temperament!

When he was there, too, he was constantly endeavouring to make me appear
ridiculous.

As certainly as I said anything, or advanced an opinion, he, as
certainly, contradicted me, taking the opposite side of the question.
This, of course, made me angry and unamiable. He was so obstinately
obtuse, too, that h