banishment had been
passed upon her. Lonely and sad of heart, she sat hour after hour in her
solitary chamber waiting for some one to summon her, or ask a cause for
the tears that came trembling with every thought to her heavy eyes. She
avoided Ralph, for without his parents' consent, her own sensitive
delicacy rendered the old intercourse impossible, and any other wounded
her to the soul with its restraints. Thus it happened that pretty,
pure-hearted Lina sat in her room and wept.

But Ralph was more impetuous. After exploring every part of the old
mansion, dragging out guns, fishing tackle, and other provocatives of
amusement, only to put them back again in disgust--after rowing
furiously up and down the river, unconscious and uncaring what course he
took, the youth grew impatient under his restraints, and promptly
resolved to break through them at any rate, as far as Lina was
concerned. She should creep away in gentle silence and spend her time in
weeping no longer. He remembered that General Harrington had not
forbidden them to meet as of old, and that his prohibition of speech
could not extend to the mother, who had already been to some extent
confided in. In short, Ralph was young, ardent, and restive of trouble,
so, after a brief battle with himself, he resolved that the General had
meant nothing by his prohibition, but to prevent premature gossip in the
household.

When quite convinced of this, the youth cast all other thoughts aside,
and sought out Lina in her solitude. She heard his footsteps with a leap
of the heart, and a brightening of the eye which no sense of duty could
check. How hopefully it sounded, how bold and firm it was. What had
happened? Would he stop at her door?

Yes, yes, Lina! his heart bounds and throbs even more warmly than your
own! His face is radiant with hope, which, without other source, springs
out of his own buoyant nature. He has cast doubt behind him, and says,
in answer to the arguments that struggle to get possession of his
reason, "Let to-morrow take care of itself. I will see Lina to-day!"

He knocks at her door, and a smile that she cannot help, breaks through
the trouble in Lina's eyes, as she arises with a thrill of mingled joy
and dread, to let him in. She opens the door, and stands before him,
blushing, and all in a tremor of delight, which will not be suppressed,
but which her little heart says is very ungrateful and wicked, knowing,
as she did, how wrong it was for