y. Marian Nowell has
been the sunshine of my life!"

"You never made any farther discoveries about Mr. Nowell?"

"Never. I have sometimes thought, that I ought to have made some stronger
efforts to place myself in communication with him. I have thought this,
especially when brooding upon the uncertainties of my darling's future.
From the little Mrs. Nowell told me about her marriage, I had reason to
believe her husband's father must have been a rich man. He might have
softened towards his grandchild, in spite of his disapproval of the
marriage. I sometimes think I ought to have sought out the grandfather.
But, you see, it would have been uncommonly difficult to set about this,
in my complete ignorance as to who or what he was."

"Very difficult. And if you had found him, the chances are that he would
have set his face against the child. Marian Nowell will have no need to
supplicate for protection from an indifferent father or a hard-hearted
grandfather, if she will be my wife.

"Heaven grant that she may love you as you deserve to be loved by her!"
Captain Sedgewick answered heartily.

He thought it would be the best thing that could happen to his darling to
become this young man's wife, and he had a notion that a simple,
inexperienced girl could scarcely help responding to the hopes of such a
lover. To his mind Gilbert Fenton seemed eminently adapted to win a
woman's heart. He forgot the fatality that belongs to these things, and
that a man may have every good gift, and yet just miss the magic power to
touch one woman's heart.

CHAPTER III.

ACCEPTED.

Mr. Fenton lingered another week at Lidford, with imminent peril to the
safe conduct of affairs at his offices in Great St. Helens. He could not
tear himself away just yet. He felt that he must have some more definite
understanding of his position before he went back to London; and in the
meantime he pondered with a dangerous delight upon that sunny vision of a
suburban villa to which Marian should welcome him when his day's work was
done.

He went every day to the cottage, and he bore himself in no manner like a
rejected lover. He was indeed very hopeful as to the issue of his wooing.
He knew that Marian Nowell's heart was free, that there was no rival
image to be displaced before his own could reign there, and he thought
that it must go hard with him if he did not win her love.

So Marian saw him every day, and had to listen to the Captain's praises