a
little.

"I will never forget you--Hermione--for I love you with all my heart."

He took her little gloved hand in his, and held it tightly. They stood
still in the midst of the lonely park. Hermione blushed like an Alp-rose
in the snow, and turned her head away from him. But her lip quivered
slightly, and she left her hand in his.

"I love you, my darling," he repeated, drawing her to him, till her head
rested for a moment on his shoulder. "I cannot live without you,--I
cannot leave you."

What could she do? When he spoke in that tone his voice was so very
gentle; she loved him, and she was under the fascination of his love.
She said nothing, but she looked up into his face, and her blue eyes saw
themselves in his. Then she bent her head and hid her face against his
coat, and her small hand tightened convulsively upon his fingers.

"Do you really love me?" he asked as he bent down and kissed her white
forehead.

"You know I do," she answered in a low voice.

That was all they said, I suppose. But it was quite enough. When a man
and a woman have told each other their love, there is little more to
say. They probably say it again, and repeat it in different keys and
with different modulations. I can imagine that a man in love might find
many pretty expressions, but the gist of the thing is the same. Model
conversation as follows, in fugue form, for two voices:--

_He._ I love you. Do you love me? (Theme.)

_She._ Very much. I love you more than you love me. (Answer.)

_He._ No. I love you most. (Sub-theme.)

_She._ Not more. That is impossible. (Sub-answer.)

_He and She._ Then we love each other very much. (_A due voci._)

_She._ Yes. But I am not sure that you _can_ love me as much as I do
you. (_Stretto._) Etc., etc., etc.

By using these simple themes you may easily write a series of
conversations in at least twenty-four keys, on the principle of Bach's
Wohltemperirtes Klavier, but your fugues must be composed for two
voices only, unless you are very clever. A third voice increases the
difficulty, a fourth causes a high degree of complication, five voices
are distracting, and six impossible.

It is certain that when Paul and Hermione returned from their walk they
had arranged matters to their own satisfaction, or had at least settled
the preliminaries. I think every one noticed the change in their manner.
Hermione was radiant, and talked better than I had ever heard her talk
before. Paul was quiet