showing that his mourning had not come from the
country town tailor and outfitter, even the soft hat a very different
article from that which was wont to replace the well-cherished tall one
of Sunday mornings.

'I had not much time,' he said, 'but I thought this would be of the most
use,' and he began clasping on her arm a gold bracelet with a tiny watch
on it. 'I thought you would like best to keep our old ring.'

'If--if I ought to keep it at all,' she faltered.

'Now, Mary, I will not have an afternoon spoilt by any folly of that
sort,' he said.

'Is it folly? Nay, listen. Should you not get on far far better without
such a poor little stupid thing as I am?'

'I always thought I was the stupid one.'

'You--but you are a man.'

'So much the worse!'

'Yes; but, Frank, don't you see what I mean? This thing has come to you,
and you can't help it, and you are descended from these people really;
but it would be choice for me, and I could not bear to feel that you were
ashamed of me.'

'Never!' he exclaimed. 'Look here, Mary. What should I do without you
to come back to and be at rest with? All the time I was talking to those
ladies and going through those fine rooms, I was thinking of the one
comfort I should have when I have you all to myself. See,' he added,
going over the arguments that he had no doubt prepared, 'it is not as if
you were like poor Emma. You are a lady all over, and have always lived
with ladies; and yet you are not too grand for me. Think what you would
leave me to--to be wretched by myself, or else-- I could never be at
home with those high-bred folk. I felt it every moment, though Miss
Morton was very kind, and even wanted me to call her Birdie. I _did_
feel thankful I could tell her I was engaged.'

'You did!'

'Yes; and she was very kind, and said she was glad of it, and hoped soon
to know you.'

'Oh, Frank dear, I am sure no one ever was more really noble-hearted than
you,' she almost sobbed; 'you know how I shall always feel it; but yet,
but yet I can't help thinking you ought to leave it a little more
unsettled till you have looked about a little and seen whether I should
be a very great disadvantage to you.'

'Seen whether I could find such a dear, unselfish little woman, eh? No,
no, Mary, put all that out of your head. We have not loved one another
for twenty years for a trumpery title to come between us now! And you
need not fear being too well off for the pos