she. "For a young fellow of the
day, you are wonderfully bashful and shy, not to be able to tell the
girl of your heart that you love her! I declare, if I had only done
what they wanted me, I would have proposed for half of the wives of the
present married men of my acquaintance! When I was a girl, gentlemen
seemed to have twice the ardour about them that they have now! You are
all, now-a-days, like a pack of boarding-school misses, and have to be
as tenderly coaxed on into proposing, as if _you_ were the wooed and not
the wooers. You don't understand what ladies like," continued the old
lady, who, like most elderly maidens, had a strong spice of the romantic
in her composition; "they prefer having their affections taken by
assault instead of all this shilly-shallying and faint-heartedness. If
I had had my choice, when I thought, as girls will think, of such
things, I would have liked my lover to carry me off like those gallant
knights did in the good old days that we read of!"

"And had him prosecuted for abduction," said I, laughing at her
enthusiasm.

"Well, well, Frank," she said, laughing too, "I don't mean to advise you
to go to that extent; yet, you might easily find an opportunity to speak
to Minnie Clyde, if you only set your wits to work. There's the school
treat on Thursday, won't that do for you?"

"Really," I replied, "I never thought of that, Miss Pimpernell; indeed I
had made up my mind not to go; and--"

"Why shouldn't you?" said the energetic little old lady, interrupting
me. "What better chance could you have, I should like to know--a nice
long day in the country, a picnic excursion, a pleasant party, with lots
of openings for private conversation? Dear me, Frank, you are not half
a lover! If I were a handsome young fellow like you, I would soon cut
you out, my boy! Only be bold and speak out to her. Girls like
boldness. I wouldn't have given twopence for a bashful man when I was
young."

"So I will, Miss Pimpernell," said I, carried away by her energy and
enthusiasm; "I will go to the school treat--that is, if you will only
kindly see _Miss Clyde_ for me"--I was rather diffident of letting Miss
Pimpernell know of the friendly footing we had been on, regarding
Christian nomenclature--"beforehand, and get her to forgive me. You
will, won't you, dear Miss Pimpernell?"

"None of your soft-sawder, Master Frank," replied the old lady; "I will
do what I can to make your peace, as I promi