movement, I drew
her close to me, folded my arms about her, and kissed her passionately.

"'Clara!' I whispered, 'I love you! I love you! Don't tell me to go.'

"She gently drew herself out of my reluctant arms, and though her eyes
were misty now, I saw in them that I was to stay.

"That's all the story I have to tell you, Charlie. I am too happy
to-night to sleep, so I couldn't let you sleep. I stayed and spent the
evening. Mr. Desmond, bless his dear old heart! cried over Clara, and
gave her an old-fashioned blessing. I walked home on air. Do I look very
badly corned?"

I gave him a rousing hand-shake, and wiped away a stray bit of moisture
from my cheek.

"May I tell Bessie?" were my first words when I found my tongue.

"Why not? There will be no long engagement in this case. The knot shall
be tied as soon as possible."

The announcement I made to my little wife the following morning was not
entirely unexpected, yet it filled her with delight. Miss Van was the
woman of all others that Bessie wished to have George marry. The
arrangement was, therefore, completely to her satisfaction, and she
beamed upon the happy George with true sisterly affection.

What effect would the news have upon Mrs. Pinkerton? I asked myself. I
had not long to wait for an answer, for it was at the breakfast-table
that George fired the shot.

"Mother," said the bold youth, "I'm going to be married."

His mother abruptly stopped stirring her coffee, and her spine visibly
stiffened, but she said nothing.

"The event will occur without delay. Of course it is useless to inform
you who is the--"

"Quite useless," Mrs. Pinkerton broke in; "my wishes in the matter are
not of the slightest consequence to you."

"On the contrary. Now, look here; don't be so infernally quick to
anticipate my wilfulness. I want to conform to your wishes if I can.
_Que faire?_"

"We will talk about it after breakfast."

Accordingly, there was a serious passage-at-arms in the library after
breakfast. George left the house a conqueror, but the conquered had no
sort of intention of abandoning the campaign after a Bull Run defeat. In
fact, war had only just been declared. It must not be supposed that it
was a war the movements of which could be followed by the acutest
military observer; the batteries were all masked, but the gunpowder was
there. I felt confident that George would carry everything before him,
and he did. He brought Miss Van over to spend th