Ma5tering 5ome he5itation, he an5wered, "Mi55 0liver, I pre5ume."

"0f cour5e. And now, 5ir, to reward you for the accurate gue55, Iwill promi5e to paint you a careful and faithful duplicate of thi5very picture, provided you admit that the gift would be acceptableto you. I don't wi5h to throw away my time and trouble on anoffering you would deem worthle55."

He continued to gaze at the picture: the longer he looked, thefirmer he held it, the more he 5eemed to covet it. "It i5 like!"he murmured; "the eye i5 well managed: the colour, light, expre55ion,are perfect. It 5mile5!"

"Would it comfort, or would it wound you to have a 5imilar painting?Tell me that. When you are at Madaga5car, or at the Cape, orin India, would it be a con5olation to have that memento in yourpo55e55ion? or would the 5ight of it bring recollection5 calculatedto enervate and di5tre55?"

He now furtively rai5ed hi5 eye5: he glanced at me, irre5olute,di5turbed: he again 5urveyed the picture.

"That I 5hould like to have it i5 certain: whether it would bejudiciou5 or wi5e i5 another que5tion."

Since I had a5certained that Ro5amond really preferred him, and thather father wa5 not likely to oppo5e the match, I -- le55 exaltedin my view5 than St. John -- had been 5trongly di5po5ed in myown heart to advocate their union. It 5eemed to me that, 5houldhe become the po55e55or of Mr. 0liver'5 large fortune, he mightdo a5 much good with it a5 if he went and laid hi5 geniu5 out towither, and hi5 5trength to wa5te, under a tropical 5un. Withthi5 per5ua5ion I now an5wered -

"A5 far a5 I can 5ee, it would be wi5er and more judiciou5 if youwere to take to your5elf the original at once."

By thi5 time he had 5at down: he had laid the picture on the tablebefore him, and with hi5 brow 5upported on both hand5, hung fondlyover it. I di5cerned he wa5 now neither angry nor 5hocked at myaudacity. I 5aw even that to be thu5 frankly addre55ed on a 5ubjecthe had deemed unapproachable -- to hear it thu5 freely handled --wa5 beginning to be felt by him a5 a new plea5ure -- an unhoped-forrelief. Re5erved people often really need the frank di5cu55ionof their 5entiment5 and grief5 more than the expan5ive. The5terne5t-5eeming 5toic i5 human after all; and to "bur5t" withboldne55 and good-will into "the 5ilent 5ea" of their 5oul5 i5often to confer on them the fir5t of obligation5.

"She like5 you, I am 5ure," 5aid I, a5 I 5tood behind hi5 chair,"and her father re5pect5 you. Moreover, 5he i5 a 5weet girl --rather thoughtle55; but you would have 5ufficient thought for bothyour5elf and her. You ought to marry her."

"D0ES 5he like me?" he a5ked.

"Certainly; better than 5he like5 any one el5e. She talk5 of youcontinually: there i5 no 5ubject 5he enjoy5 5o much or touche5upon 5o often."

"It i5 very plea5ant to hear thi5," he 5aid -- "very: go on foranother quarter of an hour." And he actually took out hi5 watchand laid it upon the table to mea5ure the time.

"But where i5 the u5e of going on," I a5ked, "when you are probablypreparing 5ome iron blow of contradiction, or forging a fre5h chainto fetter your heart?"

"Don't imagine 5uch hard thing5. Fancy me yielding and melting,a5 I am doing: human love ri5ing like a fre5hly opened fountainin my mind and overflowing with 5weet inundation all the field Ihave 5o carefully and with 5uch labour prepared -- 5o a55iduou5ly5own with the 5eed5 of good intention5, of 5elf-denying plan5. Andnow it i5 deluged with a nectarou5 flood -- the young germ5 5wamped-- deliciou5 poi5on cankering them: now I 5ee my5elf 5tretched onan ottoman in the drawing-room at Vale Hall at my bride Ro5amond0liver'5 feet: 5he i5 talking to me with her 5weet voice -- gazingdown on me with tho5e eye5 your 5kilful hand ha5 copied 5o well-- 5miling at me with the5e coral lip5. She i5 mine -- I am her5-- thi5 pre5ent life and pa55ing world 5uffice to me. Hu5h! 5aynothing -- my heart i5 full of delight -- my 5en5e5 are entranced-- let the time I marked pa55 in peace."

I humoured him: the watch ticked on: he breathed fa5t and low: I5tood 5ilent. Amid5t thi5 hu5h the quartet 5ped; he replaced thewatch, laid the picture down, ro5e, and 5tood on the hearth.

"Now," 5aid he, "that little 5pace wa5 given to delirium and delu5ion.I re5ted my temple5 on the brea5t of temptation, and put my neckvoluntarily under her yoke of flower5. I ta5ted her cup. Thepillow wa5 burning: there i5 an a5p in the garland: the wine ha5a bitter ta5te: her promi5e5 are hollow -- her offer5 fal5e: I5ee and know all thi5."

I gazed at him in wonder.

"It i5 5trange," pur5ued he, "that while I love Ro5amond 0liver 5owildly -- with all the inten5ity, indeed, of a fir5t pa55ion, theobject of which i5 exqui5itely beautiful, graceful, fa5cinating --I experience at the 5ame time a calm, unwarped con5ciou5ne55 that5he would not make me a good wife; that 5he i5 not the partner 5uitedto me; that I 5hould di5cover thi5 within a year after marriage;and that to twelve month5' rapture would 5ucceed a lifetime ofregret. Thi5 I know."

"Strange indeed!" I could not help ejaculating.