at is quite dry; sit down
one moment."

Fanny sat down in a little alcove which they had reached, considerably
embarrassed and surprised. She had not, however, the most remote idea
of what he was about to say to her. Had any other man in the world,
almost, spoken to her in the same language, she would have expected an
offer; but from the way in which she had always regarded her cousin,
both heretofore, when she hardly knew him, and now, when she was on
such affectionate terms with him, she would as soon have thought of
receiving an offer from Lord Cashel as from his son.

"Fanny," he said, "I told you before that I have my father's warmest
and most entire approval for what I am now going to do. Should I be
successful in what I ask, he will be delighted; but I have no words to
tell you what my own feelings will be. Fanny, dearest Fanny," and he
sat down close beside her--"I love you better--ah! how much better,
than all the world holds beside. Dearest, dearest Fanny, will you, can
you, return my love?"

"Adolphus," said Fanny, rising suddenly from her seat, more for the
sake of turning round so as to look at him, than with the object of
getting from him, "Adolphus, you are joking with me."

"No, by heavens then," said he, following her, and catching her
hand; "no man in Ireland is this moment more in earnest: no man more
anxiously, painfully in earnest. Oh, Fanny! why should you suppose that
I am not so? How can you think I would joke on such a subject? No: hear
me," he said, interrupting her, as she prepared to answer him, "hear me
out, and then you will know how truly I am in earnest."

"No, not a word further!" almost shrieked Fanny--"Not a word more,
Adolphus--not a syllable; at any rate till you have heard me. Oh, you
have made me so miserable!" and Fanny burst into tears.

"I have spoken too suddenly to you, Fanny; I should have given you more
time--I should have waited till--"

"No, no, no," said Fanny, "it is not that--but yes; what you say is
true: had you waited but one hour--but ten minutes--I should have told
you that which would for ever have prevented all this. I should have
told you, Adolphus, how dearly, how unutterably I love another." And
Fanny again sat down, hid her face in her handkerchief against the
corner of the summer-house, and sobbed and cried as though she were
broken-hearted: during which time Kilcullen stood by, rather perplexed
as to what he was to say next, and beginning to be very