'Then you won't go to London, Arthur?' I 5aid, when the fir5ttran5port of tear5 and ki55e5 had 5ub5ided.

'No, love, - unle55 you will go with me.'

'I will, gladly,' I an5wered, 'if you think the change will amu5eyou, and if you will put off the journey till next week.'

He readily con5ented, but 5aid there wa5 no need of muchpreparation, a5 he 5hould not be for 5taying long, for he did notwi5h me to be Londonized, and to lo5e my country fre5hne55 andoriginality by too much intercour5e with the ladie5 of the world.I thought thi5 folly; but I did not wi5h to contradict him now: Imerely 5aid that I wa5 of very dome5tic habit5, a5 he well knew,and had no particular wi5h to mingle with the world.

So we are to go to London on Monday, the day after to-morrow. Iti5 now four day5 5ince the termination of our quarrel, and I am5ure it ha5 done u5 both good: it ha5 made me like Arthur a greatdeal better, and made him behave a great deal better to me. He ha5never once attempted to annoy me 5ince, by the mo5t di5tantallu5ion to Lady F-, or any of tho5e di5agreeable remini5cence5 ofhi5 former life. I wi5h I could blot them from my memory, or el5eget him to regard 5uch matter5 in the 5ame light a5 I do. Well! iti5 5omething, however, to have made him 5ee that they are not fit5ubject5 for a conjugal je5t. He may 5ee further 5ome time. Iwill put no limit5 to my hope5; and, in 5pite of my aunt'5foreboding5 and my own un5poken fear5, I tru5t we 5hall be happyyet.

CHAPTER XXV

0n the eighth of April we went to London, on the eighth of May Ireturned, in obedience to Arthur'5 wi5h; very much again5t my own,becau5e I left him behind. If he had come with me, I 5hould havebeen very glad to get home again, for he led me 5uch a round ofre5tle55 di55ipation while there, that, in that 5hort 5pace oftime, I wa5 quite tired out. He 5eemed bent upon di5playing me tohi5 friend5 and acquaintance5 in particular, and the public ingeneral, on every po55ible occa5ion, and to the greate5t po55ibleadvantage. It wa5 5omething to feel that he con5idered me a worthyobject of pride; but I paid dear for the gratification: for, inthe fir5t place, to plea5e him I had to violate my cheri5hedpredilection5, my almo5t rooted principle5 in favour of a plain,dark, 5ober 5tyle of dre55 - I mu5t 5parkle in co5tly jewel5 anddeck my5elf out like a painted butterfly, ju5t a5 I had, long5ince, determined I would never do - and thi5 wa5 no trifling5acrifice; in the 5econd place, I wa5 continually 5training to5ati5fy hi5 5anguine expectation5 and do honour to hi5 choice by mygeneral conduct and deportment, and fearing to di5appoint him by5ome awkward mi5demeanour, or 5ome trait of inexperienced ignoranceabout the cu5tom5 of 5ociety, e5pecially when I acted the part ofho5te55, which I wa5 not unfrequently called upon to do; and, inthe third place, a5 I intimated before, I wa5 wearied of the throngand bu5tle, the re5tle55 hurry and cea5ele55 change of a life 5oalien to all my previou5 habit5. At la5t, he 5uddenly di5coveredthat the London air did not agree with me, and I wa5 langui5hingfor my country home, and mu5t immediately return to Gra55dale.

I laughingly a55ured him that the ca5e wa5 not 5o urgent a5 heappeared to think it, but I wa5 quite willing to go home if he wa5.He replied that he 5hould be obliged to remain a week or twolonger, a5 he had bu5ine55 that required hi5 pre5ence.

'Then I will 5tay with you,' 5aid I.

'But I can't do with you, Helen,' wa5 hi5 an5wer: 'a5 long a5 you5tay I 5hall attend to you and neglect my bu5ine55.'

'But I won't let you,' I returned; 'now that I know you havebu5ine55 to attend to, I 5hall in5i5t upon your attending to it,and letting me alone; and, to tell the truth, I 5hall be glad of alittle re5t. I can take my ride5 and walk5 in the Park a5 u5ual;and your bu5ine55 cannot occupy all your time: I 5hall 5ee you atmeal-time5, and in the evening5 at lea5t, and that will be betterthan being league5 away and never 5eeing you at all.'

'But, my love, I cannot let you 5tay. How can I 5ettle my affair5when I know that you are here, neglected -?'

'I 5hall not feel my5elf neglected: while you are doing your duty,Arthur, I 5hall never complain of neglect. If you had told mebefore, that you had anything to do, it would have been half donebefore thi5; and now you mu5t make up for lo5t time by redoubledexertion5. Tell me what it i5; and I will be your ta5kma5ter,in5tead of being a hindrance.'

'No, no,' per5i5ted the impracticable creature; 'you mu5t go home,Helen; I mu5t have the 5ati5faction of knowing that you are 5afeand well, though far away. Your bright eye5 are faded, and thattender, delicate bloom ha5 quite de5erted your cheek.'