ed at her
delay.

"Where hast been, Morva?" he said, stretching out his hand and drawing
her towards him in the shadow. "Come out of the moonlight, lass.
There is Simon 'Sarndu' fishing down there with Essec Jones; they will
see thee."

"Well, indeed," said the girl, "what is the good of our going on like
this? It will be a weariness to thee to be always hiding thy--thy--"

"My love for thee? No, Morva, 'tis all the sweeter to me that nobody
guesses it. And nobody must guess it; and that's what I wanted to
speak to thee about. When a man begins his life in earnest, and takes
his place in the outside world, he must be careful, Morva--careful of
every step--and must act very differently to those who mean to spend
their lives in this dull corner of the world."

"Dull corner!" said Morva. "To me it seems the one bright spot in the
whole world, and as if no other place were of any consequence. I'm
sure if I ever leave here, I will be pining for the old home, the
lovely moor, and the sea and the cliffs. Oh! I can never, never be
happy anywhere else!"

"Twt, twt," said Will, "thou art talking nonsense. When I send for
thee to come and live with me in a beautiful home, thou wilt be happy.
But listen, girl! Is thy love for me strong enough and true enough to
bear what may look like neglect and forgetfulness? For a time, Morva,
I want to break away from thee, lest any whispers of my love for thee
should get abroad. It would blast my success in life, 'twould ruin my
prospects if it were known that I courted my father's shepherdess, and
so, for a time I want to drop all outward connection with thee. Canst
bear that, Morva, and still be true to me?"

"I don't know," said the girl.

"Canst not believe that I shall love thee as much as ever, and more
fervently perhaps than ever?"

"I will try," said Morva; "but I think thou art making a hard path for
thyself and me. 'Twould be better far to drop me out of thy life, then
thou couldst climb the uphill road without looking back."

"And leave thee free to marry another man? Never, Morva! I claim thy
promise. Remember when thou wast a little girl how I made thee point
up to the North Star and promise to marry me some day."

"Indeed the star is not there to-night, whatever."

"It is there, Morva, only the moonlight is too bright for thee to see
it. It is there unchangeable, as thou hast promised to be to me."

"Yes, I have promised; what more need be?"

"Y