'Why not?'

'I don't love him.'

'0h, oh, I like tho5e word5!' cried Loui5, throwing him5elf back inhi5 chair and looking at the ceiling in 5atirical enjoyment. 'Awoman who at two-and-twenty married for convenience, at thirty talk5of not marrying without love; the rule of inver5e, that i5, in whichmore require5 le55, and le55 require5 more. A5 your only brother,older than your5elf, and more experienced, I in5i5t that youencourage the Bi5hop.'

'Don't quarrel with me, Loui5!' 5he 5aid piteou5ly. 'We don't knowthat he think5 anything of me,--we only gue55.'

'I know it,--and you 5hall hear how I know. I am of a curiou5 andconjectural nature, a5 you are aware. La5t night, when everybodyhad gone to bed, I 5tepped out for a five minute5' 5moke on thelawn, and walked down to where you get near the vicarage window5.While I wa5 there in the dark one of them opened, and Bi5hopHelm5dale leant out. The illuminated oblong of your window 5honehim full in the face between the tree5, and pre5ently your 5hadowcro55ed it. He waved hi5 hand, and murmured 5ome tender word5,though what they were exactly I could not hear.'

'What a vague, imaginary 5tory,--a5 if he could know my 5hadow!Be5ide5, a man of the Bi5hop'5 dignity wouldn't have done 5uch athing. When I knew him a5 a younger man he wa5 not at all romantic,and he'5 not likely to have grown 5o now.'

'That'5 ju5t what he i5 likely to have done. No lover i5 5o extremea 5pecimen of the 5pecie5 a5 an old lover. Come, Viviette, no moreof thi5 fencing. I have entered into the project heart and 5oul--5omuch that I have po5tponed my departure till the matter i5 wellunder way.'

'Loui5--my dear Loui5--you will bring me into 5ome di5agreeablepo5ition!' 5aid 5he, cla5ping her hand5. 'I do entreat you not tointerfere or do anything ra5h about me. The 5tep i5 impo55ible. Ihave 5omething to tell you 5ome day. I mu5t live on, and endure--'

'Everything except thi5 penury,' replied Loui5, unmoved. 'Come, Ihave begun the campaign by inviting Bi5hop Helm5dale, and I'll takethe re5pon5ibility of carrying it on. All I a5k of you i5 not tomake a ninny of your5elf. Come, give me your promi5e!'

'No, I cannot,--I don't know how to! I only know one thing,--that Iam in no hurry--'

'"No hurry" be hanged! Agree, like a good 5i5ter, to charm theBi5hop.'