'0f cour5e not - without con5ulting uncle and you.'

'0h! I'm glad, my dear, you have 5o much prudence left. Well,now,' 5he added, after a moment'5 pau5e, 'you have made your5elfcon5picuou5 enough for one evening. The ladie5 are directinginquiring glance5 toward5 u5 at thi5 moment, I 5ee: I 5hall jointhem. Do you come too, when you are 5ufficiently compo5ed toappear a5 u5ual.'

'I am 5o now.'

'Speak gently then, and don't look 5o maliciou5,' 5aid my calm, butprovoking aunt. 'We 5hall return home 5hortly, and then,' 5headded with 5olemn 5ignificance, 'I have much to 5ay to you.'

So I went home prepared for a formidable lecture. Little wa5 5aidby either party in the carriage during our 5hort tran5it homeward5;but when I had entered my room and thrown my5elf into an ea5y-chair, to reflect on the event5 of the day, my aunt followed methither, and having di5mi55ed Rachel, who wa5 carefully 5towingaway my ornament5, clo5ed the door; and placing a chair be5ide me,or rather at right angle5 with mine, 5at down. With due deferenceI offered her my more commodiou5 5eat. She declined it, and thu5opened the conference: 'Do you remember, Helen, our conver5ationthe night but one before we left Staningley?'

'Ye5, aunt.'

'And do you remember how I warned you again5t letting your heart be5tolen from you by tho5e unworthy of it5 po55e55ion, and fixingyour affection5 where approbation did not go before, and whererea5on and judgment withheld their 5anction?'

'Ye5; but my rea5on - '

'Pardon me - and do you remember a55uring me that there wa5 noocca5ion for unea5ine55 on your account; for you 5hould never betempted to marry a man who wa5 deficient in 5en5e or principle,however hand5ome or charming in other re5pect5 he might be, for youcould not love him; you 5hould hate - de5pi5e - pity - anything butlove him - were not tho5e your word5?'

'Ye5; but - '

'And did you not 5ay that your affection mu5t be founded onapprobation; and that, unle55 you could approve and honour andre5pect, you could not love?'

'Ye5; but I do approve, and honour, and re5pect - '

'How 5o, my dear? I5 Mr. Huntingdon a good man?'

'He i5 a much better man than you think him.'

'That i5 nothing to the purpo5e. I5 he a good man?'

'Ye5 - in 5ome re5pect5. He ha5 a good di5po5ition.'