ssible to see balls or holes; and Miss
Williams was beginning to be a little uneasy, when they all three walked
in, David and Janetta with a rather sheepish air, and Helen beaming all
over with mysterious delight.

How the young man had managed it--to propose to two sisters at once, at
any rate to make love to one sister while the other was by--remained
among the wonderful feats which David Dalziel, who had not too small an
opinion of himself, was always ready for, and generally succeeded in; and
if he did wear his heart somewhat "on his sleeve," why, it was a very
honest heart, and they must have been ill-natured "daws" indeed who took
pleasure in "pecking at it."

"Wish me joy, Auntie!" he cried, coming forward, beaming all over, the
instant the girls had disappeared to take their hats off. "I've been and
gone and done it, and it's all right. I didn't intend it just yet, but
he drove me to it, for which I'm rather obliged to him. He can't get her
now. Janetta's mine!"

There was a boyish triumph in his air; in fact, his whole conduct was
exceedingly juvenile, but so simple, frank, and sincere as to be quite
irresistible.

I fear Miss Williams was a very weak-minded woman, or would be so
considered by a great part of the world--the exceedingly wise and prudent
and worldly-minded "world." Here were two young people, one twenty-two,
the other eighteen, with--it could hardly be said "not a half-penny,"
but still a very small quantity of half-pennies, between them--and they
had not only fallen in love, but engaged themselves to married! She ought
to have been horrified, to have severely reproached them for their
imprudence, used all her influence and, if needs be, her authority, to
stop the whole thing; advising David not to bind himself to any girl till
he was much older, and his prospects secured; and reasoning with Janetta
on the extreme folly of a long engagement, and how very much better it
would be for her to pause, and make some "good" marriage with a man of
wealth and position, who could keep her comfortably.

All this, no doubt, was what a prudent and far-seeing mother or friend
ought to have said and done. Miss Williams did no such thing, and said
not a single word. She only kissed her "children"--Helen too, whose
innocent delight was the prettiest thing to behold--then sat down and
made tea for them all, as if nothing had happened.

But such events do not happen without making a slight stir in a fam