they were seated--he still retained her
hand in his, and felt it tremble--"tell me something about my
mother. It will do me good to hear of her from your lips."

The girl tried to make some answer, but found no utterance. Her lips
trembled so that she could not speak. But she grew more composed
after a time, and then in reply to many questions of Mark, related
incident after incident, in which his mother's goodness of character
stood prominent. The young man listened intently, sometimes with his
eyes upon the ground, and sometimes gazing admiringly into the sweet
face of the young speaker.

Time passed more rapidly than either Mark or Jenny imagined. For
full an hour had they been engaged in earnest conversation, when
both were painfully surprised by the appearance of Mrs. Lee, who had
sent Jenny on an errand, and expected her early return. A suspicion
that she might encounter young Clifford having flashed through the
old woman's mind, she had come forth to learn if possible the cause
of Jenny's long absence. To her grief and anger, she discovered them
sitting together engaged in earnest conversation.

"Now, Mark Clifford!" she exclaimed as she advanced, "this is too
bad! And Jenny, you weak and foolish girl! are you madly bent on
seeking the fowler's snare? Child! child! is it thus you repay me
for my love and care over you!"

Both Mark and Jenny started to their feet, the face of the former
flushed with instant anger, and that of the other pale from alarm.

"Come!" and Mrs. Lee caught hold of Jenny's arm and drew her away.
As they moved off, the former, glancing back at Mark, and shaking
her finger towards him, said--

"I'll see your grandfather, young man!"

Fretted by this second disturbance of an interview with Jenny, and
angry at an unjust imputation of motive, Mark dashed into the woods,
with his gun in his hand, and walked rapidly, but aimlessly, for
nearly an hour, when he found himself at the summit of a high
mountain, from which, far down and away towards the east, he could
see the silvery Hudson winding along like a vein of silver. Here,
wearied with his walk, and faint in spirit from over excitement, he
sat down to rest and to compose his thoughts. Scarcely intelligible
to himself were his feelings. The meeting with Jenny, and the effect
upon him, were things that he did not clearly understand. Her
influence over him was a mystery. In fact, what had passed so
hurriedly, was to him more like a dream