till, were it known that there was another aspirant in the
field, a very undesirable state of things might ensue. What this state
of affairs was he did not state, but I presume it had something to do
with the exceptional opposition to which he referred."

"And what did you say to all that?" asked Junius.

"I said very little. When a man asks me not to come to his house, I
don't go. But, nevertheless, I have fully made up my mind to propose to
Miss March as soon as I can get an opportunity. I have nothing to do
with family arrangements or family opposition. You have told me that
you are not engaged to her, and I am going to try to be engaged to her.
She is the one to decide this matter. And now I have called upon you, Mr
Keswick, to see if there is any way in which you can assist me in
obtaining an interview with Miss March."

"Don't you think," said Junius, "that it is rather cool in you to ask me
to assist you in this matter?"

"Not at all," replied the other. "If it had not been for you I should
now be in New York, with no thought of present proposals of marriage.
But you came to me, and insisted that I should see the lady." "That was
simply because she had expressed a strong desire to see you."

"Very good," said Lawrence. "I tried to go to her, as you know, and was
prevented. Now all I ask of you is to help me to do what you so strongly
urged me to do. There is nothing particularly cool in that, I think."

Keswick did not immediately reply. "I am not sure," he said, "that Miss
March still wishes to see you."

"That may be," replied Croft, speaking a little warmly. "None of us
exactly know what she thinks or wishes. But I want to find out what she
thinks about me by distinctly asking her. And I should suppose you would
consider it to your advantage, as well as mine, that I should do so."
"I have my own opinion on that point," said Keswick, "which it is not
necessary to discuss at present. If I were to assist you to an interview
with Miss March it would be on the lady's account, not on yours or mine.
But apart from the fact that I do not know if she now desires an
interview, I would not do anything that would offend or annoy Mr
Brandon."

"I don't ask that of you," said Croft, "but couldn't you use your
influence with him to give me a fair chance with the lady? That is all I
ask, and, whether she accepts me or rejects me, I am sure everybody
ought to be satisfied."

Keswick smiled. "You don't leave any margi