pottery lay open. After thanking him for sending it and expressing the
pleasure she had taken in looking it over, Maud plunged at once into
a discussion of Sevres, and Cloisonne, and Palissy, and tiles, and all
that sort of thing, and Arthur bravely kept his end up. Any one who had
looked casually into the parlor would have thought that old crockery
was the most absorbing subject on earth to these young people, with
such eagerness did they compare opinions and debate doubtful points.
At length, however, even pottery gave out as a resource, especially
as Arthur ceased, after a while, to do his part, and silences began
to ensue, during which Maud rapidly turned the pages of the book or
pretended to be deeply impressed with the illustrations, while her
cheeks grew hotter and hotter under Arthur's gaze. He knew that he was
a detestable coward thus to revel in her confusion, when he ought to
be trying to cover it, but it was such a novel sensation to occupy this
masterful attitude towards a young lady that he yielded basely to the
temptation. After all, it was but fair. Had she not caused him a very
embarrassing quarter of an hour the night before?

"I suppose I shall see you at Miss Oswald's next Thursday," he said, as
he rose to take his leave.

She replied that she hoped to be there. She accompanied him to the door
of the parlor. There was less light there than immediately about
the table where they had been sitting. "Good-evening," he said.
"Good-evening," she replied; and then, in a lowered voice, hardly above
a whisper, she added, "I appreciate all that was noble and generous in
your coming to-night." He made no reply, but took her hand and, bending
low, pressed his lips to it as reverently as if she had been a queen.

Now Arthur's motive in making this call upon Maud, which has been
described, had been entirely unselfish. Furthest from his mind, of all
ideas, had been any notion of pursuing the conquest of her heart which
he had inadvertently made. Nevertheless, the effect of his call, and
that, too, even before it was made,--if this bull may be pardoned,--
had been to complete that conquest as no other device, however studied,
could have done.

The previous night Maud had been unable to sleep for shame. Her
cheeks scorched the pillows faster than her tears could cool them; and
altogether her estate was so wretched that Lucy Mer-ritt, could she have
looked in upon her, possibly might have been shaken in her opini