't eat you," said Mrs. Boncassen.

"And he won't even bite," said Silverbridge.

"I should not mind that because I could bite again. But if he looks
as though he thought I shouldn't do, I shall drop."

"My belief is that he's almost as much in love with you as I am,"
said Silverbridge, as he took her to the door of the Duke's room.
"Here we are, sir."

"My dear," said the Duke, rising up and coming to her, "I am very
glad to see you. It is good of you to come to me." Then he took her
in both his hands and kissed her forehead and her lips. She, as she
put her face up to him, stood quite still in his embrace, but her
eyes were bright with pleasure.

"Shall I leave her?" said Silverbridge.

"For a few minutes."

"Don't keep her too long, for I want to take her all over the house."

"A few minutes,--and then I will bring her up to the drawing-room."
Upon this the door was closed, and Isabel was alone with her new
father. "And so, my dear, you are to be my child."

"If you will have me."

"Come here and sit down by me. Your father has already told you
that;--has he not?"

"He has told me that you had consented."

"And Silverbridge has said as much?"

"I would sooner hear it from you than from either of them."

"Then hear it from me. You shall be my child. And if you will love me
you shall be very dear to me. You shall be my own child,--as dear as
my own. I must either love his wife very dearly, or else I must be an
unhappy man. And she must love me dearly, or I must be unhappy."

"I will love you," she said, pressing his hand.

"And now let me say some few words to you, only let there be no
bitterness in them to your young heart. When I say that I take you to
my heart, you may be sure that I do so thoroughly. You shall be as
dear to me and as near as though you had been all English."

"Shall I?"

"There shall no difference be made. My boy's wife shall be my
daughter in very deed. But I had not wished it to be so."

"I knew that;--but could I have given him up?"

"He at any rate could not give you up. There were little
prejudices;--you can understand that."

"Oh yes."

"We who wear black coats could not bring ourselves readily to put on
scarlet garments; nor should we sit comfortably with our legs crossed
like Turks."

"I am your scarlet coat and your cross-legged Turk," she said, with
feigned self-reproach in her voice, but with a sparkle of mirth in
her eye.

"But when I have once got into m