lace for a minute or two; and then we part for a while, fair cousin.
Emily, my father wants you in the corner turret. No shilly-shally; he's
in a hurry.' She hesitated. 'Be off--tramp, march!' he exclaimed, in a
tone which the poor girl dared not disobey.

She left the room, and Edward followed her to the door. He stood there
for a minute or two, as if reflecting what he should say, perhaps
satisfying himself that no one was within hearing in the hall.

At length he turned about, having closed the door, as if carelessly,
with his foot; and advancing slowly, as if in deep thought, he took his
seat at the side of the table opposite to mine.

There was a brief interval of silence, after which he said:

'I imagine that you have a shrewd suspicion of the object of my early
visit; but I suppose I must go into particulars. Must I?'

'I have no conception,' I replied, 'what your object may be.'

'Well, well,' said he, becoming more at his ease as he proceeded,
'it may be told in a few words. You know that it is totally
impossible--quite out of the question--that an offhand young fellow like
me, and a good-looking girl like yourself, could meet continually, as
you and I have done, without an attachment--a liking growing up on one
side or other; in short, I think I have let you know as plain as if I
spoke it, that I have been in love with you almost from the first time I
saw you.'

He paused; but I was too much horrified to speak. He interpreted my
silence favourably.

'I can tell you,' he continued, 'I'm reckoned rather hard to please, and
very hard to HIT. I can't say when I was taken with a girl before; so
you see fortune reserved me----'

Here the odious wretch wound his arm round my waist. The action at
once restored me to utterance, and with the most indignant vehemence I
released myself from his hold, and at the same time said:

'I have not been insensible, sir, of your most disagreeable
attentions--they have long been a source of much annoyance to me; and
you must be aware that I have marked my disapprobation--my disgust--as
unequivocally as I possibly could, without actual indelicacy.'

I paused, almost out of breath from the rapidity with which I had
spoken; and without giving him time to renew the conversation, I hastily
quitted the room, leaving him in a paroxysm of rage and mortification.
As I ascended the stairs, I heard him open the parlour-door with
violence, and take two or three rapid strides in the