ollections came
to him of his own intercourse with her during the past summer, and his
heart gave a bound. "Mr Keswick," said he, "upon consideration of the
matter I think I will call upon Miss March this morning."

If Keswick had expressed himself entirely satisfied with this decision
he would have done injustice to his feelings. The service he had taken
upon himself to perform for Miss March he had considered a duty, but if
his mission had failed he would have been better pleased than with its
success. He made, however, a courteous reply to Croft's remark, and rose
to depart. But this the other would not allow.

"You told me," said Croft, "that you walked over here; but it is much
warmer now, and you must not think of such a thing as walking back. The
man here has a horse and buggy. I will get him to harness up, and I will
drive you over to Midbranch."

As there was no good reason why he should decline this offer, Junius
accepted it, and in half an hour the two were on their way.

CHAPTER VIII.

Old Mr Brandon of Midbranch was not in a very happy frame of mind, and
he had good reasons for dissatisfaction. He was an ardent supporter of a
marriage between his niece and Junius Keswick; and when the engagement
had been broken off he had considered that both these young people had
acted in a manner very foolish and contrary to their best interests.
There was no opposition to the match except from old Mrs Keswick, who
was the aunt of Junius, but who considered herself as occupying the
position of a mother. Junius was the son of a sister who had also
married into the Keswick family, and his parents having died while he
was a boy, his aunt had taken him under her charge, and her house had
then became his home; although of late years some of his absences had
been long ones. Mrs Keswick had no personal objections to Roberta, never
having seen that lady, and knowing little of her; but an alliance
between her Junius and any member of that branch of the Brandons,
"which," to use the old lady's own words, "had for four generations
cheated, stripped, and scornfully used my people, scattering their atoms
over the face of three counties," was monstrous. Nothing could make her
consent to such an enormity, and she had informed Junius that if he
married that March girl three of them should live together--himself, his
wife, and her undying curse. In order that Miss March might not fail to
hear of this post-connubial arrangeme