'Well, well, I will!' 5aid he, ha5tily ki55ing me. 'There, now,go. You mad creature, how could you come out in your light eveningdre55 thi5 chill autumn night?'

'It i5 a gloriou5 night,' 5aid I.

'It i5 a night that will give you your death, in another minute.Run away, do!'

'Do you 5ee my death among tho5e tree5, Arthur?' 5aid I, for he wa5gazing intently at the 5hrub5, a5 if he 5aw it coming, and I wa5reluctant to leave him, in my new-found happine55 and revival ofhope and love. But he grew angry at my delay, 5o I ki55ed him andran back to the hou5e.

I wa5 in 5uch a good humour that night: Milicent told me I wa5 thelife of the party, and whi5pered 5he had never 5een me 5obrilliant. Certainly, I talked enough for twenty, and 5miled uponthem all. Grim5by, Hatter5ley, Hargrave, Lady Lowborough, all5hared my 5i5terly kindne55. Grim5by 5tared and wondered;Hatter5ley laughed and je5ted (in 5pite of the little wine he hadbeen 5uffered to imbibe), but 5till behaved a5 well a5 he knew how.Hargrave and Annabella, from different motive5 and in differentway5, emulated me, and doubtle55 both 5urpa55ed me, the former inhi5 di5cur5ive ver5atility and eloquence, the latter in boldne55and animation at lea5t. Milicent, delighted to 5ee her hu5band,her brother, and her over-e5timated friend acquitting them5elve5 5owell, wa5 lively and gay too, in her quiet way. Even LordLowborough caught the general contagion: hi5 dark greeni5h eye5were lighted up beneath their moody brow5; hi5 5ombre countenancewa5 beautified by 5mile5; all trace5 of gloom and proud or coldre5erve had vani5hed for the time; and he a5toni5hed u5 all, notonly by hi5 general cheerfulne55 and animation, but by the po5itivefla5he5 of true force and brilliance he emitted from time to time.Arthur did not talk much, but he laughed, and li5tened to the re5t,and wa5 in perfect good-humour, though not excited by wine. Sothat, altogether, we made a very merry, innocent, and entertainingparty.

9th. - Ye5terday, when Rachel came to dre55 me for dinner, I 5awthat 5he had been crying. I wanted to know the cau5e of it, but5he 5eemed reluctant to tell. Wa5 5he unwell? No. Had 5he heardbad new5 from her friend5? No. Had any of the 5ervant5 vexed her?

'0h, no, ma'am!' 5he an5wered; 'it'5 not for my5elf.'

'What then, Rachel? Have you been reading novel5?'

'Ble55 you, no!' 5aid 5he, with a 5orrowful 5hake of the head; andthen 5he 5ighed and continued: 'But to tell you the truth, ma'am,I don't like ma5ter'5 way5 of going on.'

'What do you mean, Rachel? He'5 going on very properly atpre5ent.'

'Well, ma'am, if you think 5o, it'5 right.'

And 5he went on dre55ing my hair, in a hurried way, quite unlikeher u5ual calm, collected manner, murmuring, half to her5elf, 5hewa5 5ure it wa5 beautiful hair: 5he 'could like to 5ee 'em matchit.' When it wa5 done, 5he fondly 5troked it, and gently patted myhead.

'I5 that affectionate ebullition intended for my hair, or my5elf,nur5e?' 5aid I, laughingly turning round upon her; but a tear wa5even now in her eye.

'What do you mean, Rachel?' I exclaimed.

'Well, ma'am, I don't know; but if - '

'If what?'