I said."

"And what did _he_ say?" asked Shank, forgetting the parental _role_ for
a moment, and looking at May with a humorous smile.

"Indeed I can hardly tell. He made a great many absurd protestations,
begged me to give him no decided answer just then, and said something
about letting him write to me, but all I am quite sure of is that at
last I had the courage to utter a very decided _No_, and then ran away
and left him."

"That was too sharp, May. Ralph is a first-rate fellow, with capital
prospects. His father is rich and can give him a good start in life.
He may come back in a few years with a fortune--not a bad kind of
husband for a penniless lass."

"Shank!" exclaimed May, letting go her brother's arm and facing him with
flashing eyes and heightened colour, "do you really think that a fortune
would make me marry a man whom I did not love?"

"Certainly not, my dear sis," said the youth, taking May's hand and
drawing it again through his arm with an approving smile. "I never for
a moment thought you capable of such meanness, but that is a very
different thing from slamming the door in a poor fellow's face. You're
not in love with anybody else. Ralph is a fine handsome young fellow.
You might grow to like him in time--and if you did, a fortune, of
course, would be no disadvantage. Besides, he is to be my travelling
companion, and might write to you about me if I were ill, or chanced to
meet with an accident and were unable to write myself--don't you know?"

"He could in that case write to mother," said May, simply.

"So he could!" returned Shank, laughing. "I never thought o' that, my
sharp sister."

They had reached the shore by that time. The tide was out; the sea was
calm and the sun glinted brightly on the wavelets that sighed rather
than broke upon the sands.

For some distance they sauntered in silence by the margin of the sea.
The mind of each was busy with the same thought. Each was aware of
that, and for some time neither seemed able to break the silence. The
timid girl recovered her courage before the self-reliant man!

"Dear Shank," she said, pressing his arm, "you will probably be away for
years."

"Yes, May--at least for a good long time."

"Oh forgive me, brother," continued the girl, with sudden earnestness,
"but--but--you know your--your weakness--"

"Ay, May, I know it. Call it sin if you will--and my knowledge of it
has something to do with my present determination,