eepenny bit and two biscuits, and her age
was nineteen.

"Well my pretty bird," she said as she approached Burke, "I hope you
will like to 'manger' a biscuit with me," (I may add that she was fond
of French).

"Thank you Edith," he said, "I will have one if it is a cracknell."

Then Edith burst into a fit of tears and howled out, "Oh but they are
Osbornes."

"Well to dry up those moist tears, I will eat one," said Burke.

"You dear!" said Edith like sunshine after rain, for the smiles had come
on her face, as she opened her silken bag and popped one into his
blistered hand. After this Burk and Edith walked along down the lane,
which I forgot to say was shaded by trees all along.

"Burke," said Edith after a long pause, "you have talked often enough
and said we shall be married one day, but when it is going to come off I
am sure I don't know."

"Well my dear Edith you must recollect I am not a good dancer and have
no nice suits, and you must recollect my people are not in this
neighbourhood and I can't write marriage letters, and to begin with I
don't think my people would like me to be married just yet as I am not
quite twenty nine."

"Well it is silly of you," said Edith, "after having talked to me so
often about it, and bothered to come into my house, and sat on the
drawing room sofa to make arrangements, and now you seem not to care for
it a bit, just because your people are not in the neighbourhood; and
besides I was getting quite excited about it!"

"If you had only a little more reason in you," said Burke, "you might
take it all in and understand a bit, but you are such a great stupid, so
I must leave it alone and wait till I get a chance to speak to Mrs.
Molvern about it--she has got a bit of sense in her if you haven't," and
his revengeful face made poor little Edith shudder. Indeed she was now
too frightened to answer, and she kept on trying to go home every time
she got a chance, but Burke's quick eye caught her every time.

Edith walked on slowly in front thinking what was the best way to cheer
Burke out of his most moodful mind. At last she hit on a plan. "Burke,"
she said "I have painted such a pretty little tray, it will just hold a
cup of tea and a plate of toast and the paint is quite dry now, if you
will come in and have a cup of tea with me to-day, I will gladly show it
to you."

This short but cheerful conversation of Edith's, made Burke quite forget
their quarrel, and he turned round an