kily.

"Cannot?" she uttered. "Cannot do right? Be truthful and just--true to
yourself. Harry, you cannot mean you are afraid to do this?"

She thought she knew what was passing in his mind. He had been away from
home for several weeks, in London and in the North, and she thought he
longed to serve his King by taking up arms and joining actively in the
fray. Her spirit stirred and swelled within her, as she almost wished
that she, too, was a man, that she might follow him to the field and
fight by his side.

"Harry, you will do it," she said; "you will be brave and true, and tell
your father all that is passing in your mind."

Harry looked at her astonished, almost bewildered. "By my troth, Maud,
this is more wonderful than anything else," he said.

"Marry, that _I_ should tell you to be true to yourself and your own
conscience," said Maud, in a deeply injured tone.

"Nay, but I did not mean to grieve you, dearest Maud," said Harry; "but
I did not think--I dared not hope--you would see matters as I do."

"But I do see, that, whatever the cost may be----"

"Maud, the cost will not be half so great as I thought it half an hour
since. I have your sympathy," interrupted Harry.

"But is your father _sure_ to oppose your wishes in this?" said Maud.

Harry looked at her in some perplexity. "Can you ask it?" he said, "when
he----"

"Yes, I know he refuses to take any public part in----" At this moment
Maud was in her turn interrupted by Bessie rushing up to them with the
announcement that a visitor had just arrived from London who desired to
see Harry.

"It is a friend to whom I have spoken of the things we have been talking
about," he said in a lower tone, to Maud; and finding Bessie was
inclined to take his place by her side, he left them, and returned at
once to the house.

"Has Harry been telling you about Prince Rupert?" asked Bessie, when
they were left alone.

"No, dear," answered Maud; and then she relapsed into silence, for her
thoughts were busy about Harry, and she wondered why he could be so
afraid of mentioning his wish to become a soldier to his father.

Bessie waited a few minutes, and then she said,--"Has Harry told you
anything about Prince Rupert, to-day, Maud?"

Maud smiled. "We have so often talked about Prince Rupert, you know,
Bessie, that I think we have heard all Harry can tell us about his
winning the King's battles for him," she said.

"Marry, but we have not, though," said Bessie,