you. Do you understand?"

"Perfectly, dear, you leave no room for misconception. By all means let
him live with us--if he can get on with my father," he added meaningly.

"Ah!" she replied, "I never thought of that. Also I should not have
spoken so roughly, but I have had such a shock that I feel inclined to
treat you like--like--a toad under a harrow. So please be sympathetic,
and don't misunderstand me, or I don't know what I shall say." Then by
way of making amends, Mary put her arms round his neck and gave him a
kiss "all of her own accord," saying, "Morris, I am afraid--I am afraid.
I feel as if our good time was done."

After this the servant came to say that she might go up to her father's
room, and that scene of our drama was at an end.

Mr. Porson owned a villa at Beaulieu, in the south of France, which he
had built many years before as a winter house for his wife, whose chest
was weak. Here he was in the habit of spending the spring months, more,
perhaps, because of the associations which the place possessed for him
than of any affection for foreign lands. Now, however, after this last
attack, three doctors in consultation announced that it would be well
for him to escape from the fogs and damp of England. So to Beaulieu he
was ordered.

This decree caused consternation in various quarters. Mr. Porson did
not wish to go; Mary and Morris were cast down for simple and elementary
reasons; and Colonel Monk found this change of plan--it had been
arranged that the Porsons should stop at Seaview till the New Year,
which was to be the day of the marriage--inconvenient, and, indeed,
disturbing. Once those young people were parted, reflected the Colonel
in his wisdom, who could tell what might or might not happen?

In this difficulty he found an inspiration. Why should not the wedding
take place at once? Very diplomatically he sounded his brother-in-law,
to find that he had no opposition to fear in this quarter provided that
Mary and her husband would join him at Beaulieu after a week or two of
honeymoon. Then he spoke to Morris, who was delighted with the idea.
For Morris had come to the conclusion that the marriage state would be
better and more satisfactory than one of prolonged engagement.

It only remained, therefore, to obtain the consent of Mary, which would
perhaps, have been given without much difficulty had her uncle been
content to leave his son or Mr. Porson to ask it of her. As it chanced,
this he w