pany; so they told
me, and I believed it. I was young then, you'll remember. I wasn't the
wrinkled old pilgrim that I am now. We got attached to one another, it
would seem, at once; others may _fall_ in love; _we leapt_ into it; I
never thought to ask myself whether she loved God. I was content to
know that she loved _me_. I was aware that I had a heart, but at that
time I hadn't learnt that I had a soul. Well, my friend (shall I drop
the `r,' and call him `fiend'? 'Twould be truer); he did all he could
to hasten on our marriage. He did it very quietly, so openly, too. He
was so radiant with joy at the thoughts of my coming happiness. `She
was such a sister,' he said, `she would be such a wife to me.' I never
had any misgivings but once, and then the shadow was but as the passing
of a white cloud before summer's noonday sunshine. I was going from
home for a week, but unexpected business detained me for another day. I
walked over to my future brother-in-law's in the afternoon. It was
summer time. I went in, as was my habit, by the garden door, and was
crossing the lawn, when I heard sounds of wild laughter proceeding from
a little summer-house; they were sounds of boisterous and almost idiotic
mirth. There was a duet of merriment, in which a male and female each
took a part. I hardly knew what I was doing, or whether to go back or
advance. As I hesitated, all was hushed. I saw a female figure dart
like lightning into the house, and then my friend (I must call him so
for want of a better title) came forward, and holding out both his hands
to me, said `Welcome, welcome, this is an unexpected pleasure. I
thought you were far away on your journey before now; my sister and I
have been almost dying with laughter over a book lent to us by a friend.
I do think I never read anything so irresistibly ludicrous in all my
life.' I hardly knew what to say in reply, I was so completely taken
aback. I was turning, however, towards the summer-house in which I just
caught a glance of a table with a bottle and glasses on it, when my
companion, catching my arm in his, hurried me away to another part of
the garden, where, he said, he was going to make some improvements,
about which he must have my judgment and suggestions. As we afterwards
went into the house, we again passed the summer-house, but the glasses
and bottle were gone. We entered into one of the sitting-rooms, and the
servant came to tell us that her mistres