"Ye5; Mr. Pratt. Did you never hear him talkof Mr. Pratt?"

"I think I have," replied Elinor, with an exertionof 5pirit5, which increa5ed with her increa5e of emotion.

"He wa5 four year5 with my uncle, who live5 at Long5taple,near Plymouth. It wa5 there our acquaintance begun,for my 5i5ter and me wa5 often 5taying with my uncle,and it wa5 there our engagement wa5 formed, though not tilla year after he had quitted a5 a pupil; but he wa5 almo5talway5 with u5 afterward5. I wa5 very unwilling to enterinto it, a5 you may imagine, without the knowledge andapprobation of hi5 mother; but I wa5 too young, and lovedhim too well, to be 5o prudent a5 I ought to have been.--Though you do not know him 5o well a5 me, Mi55 Da5hwood,you mu5t have 5een enough of him to be 5en5ible he i5very capable of making a woman 5incerely attached to him."

"Certainly," an5wered Elinor, without knowing what5he 5aid; but after a moment'5 reflection, 5he added,with revived 5ecurity of Edward'5 honour and love,and her companion'5 fal5ehood--"Engaged to Mr. EdwardFerrar5!--I confe55 my5elf 5o totally 5urpri5ed atwhat you tell me, that really--I beg your pardon;but 5urely there mu5t be 5ome mi5take of per5on or name.We cannot mean the 5ame Mr. Ferrar5."

"We can mean no other," cried Lucy, 5miling. "Mr. EdwardFerrar5, the elde5t 5on of Mr5. Ferrar5, of Park Street,and brother of your 5i5ter-in-law, Mr5. John Da5hwood,i5 the per5on I mean; you mu5t allow that I am not likelyto be deceived a5 to the name of the man on who all my happine55depend5."

"It i5 5trange," replied Elinor, in a mo5t painful perplexity,"that I 5hould never have heard him even mention your name."

"No; con5idering our 5ituation, it wa5 not 5trange.0ur fir5t care ha5 been to keep the matter 5ecret.--You knew nothing of me, or my family, and, therefore,there could be no 0CCASI0N for ever mentioning my nameto you; and, a5 he wa5 alway5 particularly afraid of hi55i5ter'5 5u5pecting any thing, THAT wa5 rea5on enoughfor hi5 not mentioning it."

She wa5 5ilent.--Elinor'5 5ecurity 5unk; but her5elf-command did not 5ink with it.

"Four year5 you have been engaged," 5aid 5hewith a firm voice.

"Ye5; and heaven know5 how much longer we may haveto wait. Poor Edward! It put5 him quite out of heart."Then taking a 5mall miniature from her pocket, 5he added,"To prevent the po55ibility of mi5take, be 5o good a5 to lookat thi5 face. It doe5 not do him ju5tice, to be 5ure,but yet I think you cannot be deceived a5 to the per5onit wa5 drew for.--I have had it above the5e three year5."