up and down his thoughts occupied with Helen Winston.

As Lady Beaufort had said the crocus bed was a delightfully quiet spot.
Not a soul was to be seen any where, and a general air of peace
pervaded the whole atmosphere. Lawrence continued to walk up and down
lost in his rapturous reveries, while the evening grew darker and
darker. By and by the stars began to come out and at length the moon
rose full in the heavens, and then Lawrence looked up and there in front
of him stood Helen, clad in her evening dress of pale yellow and a white
shawl thrown round her shoulders.

She seemed as supprised as Lawrence for she stopped suddenly on seeing
him.

"I beg your pardon Mr. Lincarrol" she began "I hope I am not disturbing
you, but Lady Beaufort told me to come here before dinner and see if
Jefferson (the gardiner) had raked the beds properly."

Lawrence grew very red and glanced quickly and mechanically up to the
window of Lady Beaufort's budoir. There sure enough the old lady was
looking out, but on seeing the two together she quickly retired into the
regions of her own bedroom.

"This is Lady Beaufort's doing thought Lawrence as the letter he had
received came back to his mind. "Oh no you dont disturb me at all" he
added aloud.

Helen smiled and began plucking at the faded leaves of the trees.

"What a lovely night it is" said Lawrence at last as the silence grew
embarresing.

"Yes" replied Helen vaguely and Lawrence glancing at her saw by the
moonlight that her eyes had a far away dreamy look in them.

"How delightfully sheltered this part of the garden is" continued
Lawrence.

"Yes very answered Helen, drawing her silk shawl over her shoulders as a
slight breeze blew across the garden.

"Had you a good garden where you lived before?" enquired Lawrence,
unconsiously leading up to his proposal.

"At Cannon Street there was only a yard replied Helen, a painful blush
mounting to her face, "but at Kenelham we had a sweet little garden, my
poor dear father took the greatest interest in his flowers and so did I"
she added with a slight catch in her harmonious voice.

"Dont you now?" asked Lawrence.

"Oh yes" said Helen, "but you see, it is all so different now; in those
days my father and I were constant companions and our opinions were
one. But now there is nobody--nobody" and tears began to well up in her
eyes and fall over her long black lashes.

"Surely somebody cares for you Miss Winston, surely there is