St Michaels on either hand,
and in the centre of the picture the Abbey of St. Albans brooding over
all. We decided to be married in the abbey. I trod on air.

CHAPTER XIV

A CLOUD APPEARS ON LOVE'S HORIZON

MANNERING remained absent for a week, and during that time I learned
from Evie a good deal about the curious dread which he had inspired in
her mind. Had inspired, I say, for she assured me it had passed away,
and that she felt quite safe now she was promised to be my wife. Our
betrothal had been announced the day after the never-to-be-forgotten
walk to Bricket wood, and I had hastened to make it known as widely as I
could, for I could think of no likelier method of ensuring her against
any further annoyance on the part of Mannering. When he saw that he had
lost, I could not think that he would do otherwise than retire
gracefully from the scene. If, however, he failed to take his failure
kindly, I should not have the slightest hesitation about sending him
about his business. I should have been tempted to do so without further
delay, if there had in reality been anything in Mannering's conduct to
which open exception could have been taken. Evie recognized there was
nothing of the sort as strongly as myself, and she was even averse to do
as I suggested, and ask her father to hint to him that he should, for a
while at least, cease his visits to the house.

"You see," she remarked, "if he had made himself offensive in any other
way, I should have welcomed the opportunity of speaking to papa about
it. But he has not. His attitude has been outwardly perfectly courteous,
and papa would only laugh at me if I were to tell him what I have told
you. He would not believe me if I told him I was afraid of Mr.
Mannering."

"Besides, you are now no longer afraid?" I said.

"No; I am no longer afraid of him. I am quite sure of that," she
repeated.

The manner in which she made the assertion ought to have warned me that
she was not quite so certain on the point as she was willing to believe,
but no such thought crossed my mind at the time.

"Anyhow," I continued, "if when you see Mannering again, you feel any
recurrence of your dread, it will be easy for me to pick a quarrel with
him, and so compel him to absent himself from the house. You see, he
will be unable to come here without meeting me."

Evie pouted a dissent. "You must not do that," she remarked. "A quarrel
with him would make both of us look ridiculous. E