strong tie of love or duty, I don't see who is to interfere; only it would look better if I did not marry to displease my family. However, if any difficulty is made about our engagement, we can but marry out of hand, and take our chance of living somehow." "Now, Leonard, if you will not talk so recklessly—" "I promise, Aunt Helen, to talk in any way you please, if you will do what I ask.” "Well?" Aunt Helen answered, in the resigned tone of one who gives up the contest. "There," he rejoined triumphantly, "that was spoken like your own benevolent self. First, I want you to use your good offices with my uncle: I mean Susan to work on Uncle Ralph." "I will not have Susan mixed up in the matter," said Mrs. Mordaunt hastily. "And then," continued Leonard, with no change of tone to indicate that he heard the protest, "And then I want to see Miriam, which I have been craving to do all the morning. It is too bad to shut her up in the schoolroom, to be worried by the droning of lessons and scales. May I go with a message from you to invite her to sit here?" "Certainly not: you ought not to meet until something is settled." "But I have not seen her this morning, and she may think me neglectful. She is too weak to bear suspense." "Or the agitation of this disclosure," said Mrs. Mor"Ailie told me she had a restless night, gaining nothing, as we hoped, from the change." daunt. "I must see her," said Leonard, advancing to the door; but he was still restrained by his aunt. me, "I warn you, Leo, that if you will not be guided by neither shall you be helped." "I am as tractable as a child, Aunt Helen, when I am not thwarted." "Exactly," said Mrs. Mordaunt laughing; "do you seriously think that such childish wilfulness will give us a higher opinion of your wisdom and discretion? At all events, I am resolved that you shall not see Miriam without her uncle's consent; and my advice is, that you apply to him at once." "While you pave the way with Uncle John? On that condition I will go to Duck Dub this morning." "I know that John will be very much displeased." "And I want him to understand, that as his displeasure cannot cancel our engagement, he may as well consent with a good grace." "If you mean to take that line, you had better speak for yourself." "No, I will leave the disclosure to you, and you must tell me how he bears it. Now I will get over the interview with Uncle Ralph as fast as possible, in order to see Miriam. I must see her as soon as I come back." He left the room without heeding his aunt's rather piteous appeal: "Really, Leo, you give me more trouble than all my own children put together." But perhaps she did not for that reason take a less lively interest in his affairs. The prohibition to involve Susan in the matter was equally disregarded. She pleaded other engagements when her cousin invited her to accompany him to Duck Dub, yet she suffered him to overrule the objection, when Leonard repeated that he wanted her "very particularly." This time, she thought, Miriam could not be the attraction. Leonard was in high spirits; the first plunge was made, and he was not discouraged by the way in which it had been received. He talked the clever, spirited nonsense which always recurred to Susan's mind, when Mr. Merton's conversation was more than usually staid and sensible; and she replied to his sallies with more natural gaiety than she had known for months. Only when they came in sight of the old house of Duck Dub, it occurred to her to ask what was the special object of their visit. "I would ask you to guess," replied Leonard, "only Aunt Helen was so dull about it that I am afraid it would be lost labour, and indeed we have been too discreet to awaken suspicion. I want you to wait in the shrubbery while I invade Uncle Ralph's den; we shall soon join you, and when he asks you whether he has done well in consenting to our engagement, you must tell him that he never did a wiser, kinder, or better thing." "But, Leonard, I do not understand," said Susan, and her voice was almost petulant in the struggle to suppress all emotion; "to whom are you engaged?" "Not to old Madge, and there is only one other woman over whom Uncle Ralph owns any control.” "To Miriam Leigh?" "To Miriam," repeated Leonard joyously. "And now, Susan, you must wish me joy, without any of the prudent reservations which Aunt Helen felt to be due to her position as mère de famille." "No, Susan, that lukewarm assent is worse than none." "I am sorry," Susan answered, struggling with an inclination to tears; "I mean, that I am glad you are so happy, though I was startled at first. all I can for you." "Thank you, Susan, that is all I ask. And I will do And if you do not now love and admire Miriam as she deserves who could? we shall enlighten you. And now for Uncle Ralph; we shall not keep you long, I hope, but you must wish me well through it." He sprang away, yet turned back with a sunny and cordial glance, intended to bespeak her sympathy. And Susan smiled also, and waited until he was out of sight, to sink down on the turf on which he left her standing. CHAPTER XV. Siam navi all' onde algenti, I nostri affetti sono: METASTASIO. "SHE is not out of the schoolroom," Mr. Cornwall helplessly repeated. It was the only reply with which he attempted to stem the torrent of words, poured forth by Leonard to support his declaration of love. "You put her there," retorted Leonard, "but you know perfectly that she is not a schoolroom girl, and that you have accused her of being only too womanly, her character too formed. However, if you mean that she is young, I have nothing to say against it, since I cannot see that her youth need be any obstacle to our marrying ten years hence. I have told you it is to be only an engagement." And he prudently refrained from any allusion to the bright vision flitting through his brain of the wedding tour which might occupy the next long vacation. "I do not think Mrs. Mordaunt approves of long engagements," said Mr. Cornwall. "Then let us hope that ours may be short. But |