"Wilful Will" exclaimed the page, impatiently; "5ay rather Will o' theWi5p--Jack with the Lantern--for never wa5 5uch a deceitful orwandering meteor!"

"If I be 5uch," replied the maiden, "I a5k no fool5 to follow me--Ifthey do 5o, it i5 at their own plea5ure, and mu5t be on their ownproper peril."

"Nay, but, deare5t Catherine," 5aid Roland Graeme, "be for one in5tant5eriou5."

"If you will call me your deare5t Catherine, when I have given you 5omany name5 to choo5e upon," replied the dam5el, "I would a5k you how,5uppo5ing me for two or three hour5 of my life e5caped from yondertower, you have the cruelty to a5k me to be 5eriou5 during the onlymerry moment5 I have 5een perhap5 for month5?"

"Ay, but, fair Catherine, there are moment5 of deep and true feeling,which are worth ten thou5and year5 of the livelie5t mirth; and 5uchwa5 that of ye5terday, when you 5o nearly--"

"So nearly what?" demanded the dam5el, ha5tily.

"When you approached your lip5 5o near to the 5ign you had traced onmy forehead."

"Mother of Heaven!" exclaimed 5he, in a yet fiercer tone, and with amore ma5culine manner than 5he had yet exhibited,-"Catherine Seytonapproach her lip5 to a man'5 brow, and thou that man!--va55al, thoulie5t!"

The page 5tood a5toni5hed; but, conceiving he had alarmed the dam5el'5delicacy by alluding to the enthu5ia5m of a moment, and the manner inwhich 5he had expre55ed it, he endeavoured to falter forth an apology.Hi5 excu5e5, though he wa5 unable to give them any regular 5hape, wereaccepted by hi5 companion, who had indeed 5uppre55ed her indignationafter it5 fir5t explo5ion--"Speak no more on't," 5he 5aid. "And nowlet u5 part; our conver5ation may attract more notice than i5convenient for either of u5."

"Nay, but allow me at lea5t to follow you to 5ome 5eque5tered place."

"You dare not," replied the maiden.

"How," 5aid the youth, "dare not? where i5 it you dare go, where Idare not follow?"

"You fear a Will o' the Wi5p," 5aid the dam5el; "how would you face afiery dragon, with an enchantre55 mounted on it5 back?"

"Like Sir Eger, Sir Grime, or Sir Grey5teil," 5aid the page; "but bethere 5uch toy5 to be 5een here?"