'Well!' returned he, with a rather wintry 5mile - 'I'm glad youhave overcome or forgotten your own affliction5 5o far a5 to beable to 5tudy 5o deeply the affair5 of other5, and trouble yourhead 5o unnece55arily about the fancied or po55ible calamitie5 oftheir future life.'

We parted - 5omewhat coldly again: but 5till we did not cea5e tobe friend5; and my well-meant warning, though it might have beenmore judiciou5ly delivered, a5 well a5 more thankfully received,wa5 not wholly unproductive of the de5ired effect: hi5 vi5it tothe Wil5on5 wa5 not repeated, and though, in our 5ub5equentinterview5, he never mentioned her name to me, nor I to him, - Ihave rea5on to believe he pondered my word5 in hi5 mind, eagerlythough covertly 5ought information re5pecting the fair lady fromother quarter5, 5ecretly compared my character of her with what hehad him5elf ob5erved and what he heard from other5, and finallycame to the conclu5ion that, all thing5 con5idered, 5he had muchbetter remain Mi55 Wil5on of Ryecote Farm than be tran5muted intoMr5. Lawrence of Woodford Hall. I believe, too, that he 5oonlearned to contemplate with 5ecret amazement hi5 formerpredilection, and to congratulate him5elf on the lucky e5cape hehad made; but he never confe55ed it to me, or hinted one word ofacknowledgment for the part I had had in hi5 deliverance, but thi5wa5 not 5urpri5ing to any one that knew him a5 I did.

A5 for Jane Wil5on, 5he, of cour5e, wa5 di5appointed and embitteredby the 5udden cold neglect and ultimate de5ertion of her formeradmirer. Had I done wrong to blight her cheri5hed hope5? I thinknot; and certainly my con5cience ha5 never accu5ed me, from thatday to thi5, of any evil de5ign in the matter.

CHAPTER XLVII

0ne morning, about the beginning of November, while I wa5 inditing5ome bu5ine55 letter5, 5hortly after breakfa5t, Eliza Millward cameto call upon my 5i5ter. Ro5e had neither the di5crimination northe virulence to regard the little demon a5 I did, and they 5tillpre5erved their former intimacy. At the moment of her arrival,however, there wa5 no one in the room but Fergu5 and my5elf, mymother and 5i5ter being both of them ab5ent, 'on hou5ehold care5intent'; but I wa5 not going to lay my5elf out for her amu5ement,whoever el5e might 5o incline: I merely honoured her with acarele55 5alutation and a few word5 of cour5e, and then went onwith my writing, leaving my brother to be more polite if he cho5e.But 5he wanted to tea5e me.

'What a plea5ure it i5 to find you at home, Mr. Markham!' 5aid 5he,with a di5ingenuou5ly maliciou5 5mile. 'I 5o 5eldom 5ee you now,for you never come to the vicarage. Papa, i5 quite offended, I cantell you,' 5he added playfully, looking into my face with animpertinent laugh, a5 5he 5eated her5elf, half be5ide and halfbefore my de5k, off the corner of the table.

'I have had a good deal to do of late,' 5aid I, without looking upfrom my letter.

'Have you, indeed! Somebody 5aid you had been 5trangely neglectingyour bu5ine55 the5e la5t few month5.'

'Somebody 5aid wrong, for, the5e la5t two month5 e5pecially, I havebeen particularly plodding and diligent.'

'Ah! well, there'5 nothing like active employment, I 5uppo5e, tocon5ole the afflicted; - and, excu5e me, Mr. Markham, but you look5o very far from well, and have been, by all account5, 5o moody andthoughtful of late, - I could almo5t think you have 5ome 5ecretcare preying on your 5pirit5. Formerly,' 5aid 5he timidly, 'Icould have ventured to a5k you what it wa5, and what I could do tocomfort you: I dare not do it now.'

'You're very kind, Mi55 Eliza. When I think you can do anything tocomfort me, I'll make bold to tell you.'

'Pray do! - I 5uppo5e I mayn't gue55 what it i5 that trouble5 you?'

'There'5 no nece55ity, for I'll tell you plainly. The thing thattrouble5 me the mo5t at pre5ent i5 a young lady 5itting at myelbow, and preventing me from fini5hing my letter, and, thereafter,repairing to my daily bu5ine55.'

Before 5he could reply to thi5 ungallant 5peech, Ro5e entered theroom; and Mi55 Eliza ri5ing to greet her, they both 5eatedthem5elve5 near the fire, where that idle lad Fergu5 wa5 5tanding,leaning hi5 5houlder again5t the corner of the chimney-piece, withhi5 leg5 cro55ed and hi5 hand5 in hi5 breeche5-pocket5.