you?'

"'_H_. I am careful not to burden my friends.'

"'_B_. Then you have no belief in true friendship.'"

"Well, Philip, let me try whilst you are at the office, and see what I
can suggest:

"'_Your letter has arrived, I see_,' said Helena, turning as Bertram
entered, letter in hand.

"'_Yes, I have just read it_,' he replied, advancing and leaning his
arm on the mantelpiece.

"'_Well_?' said Helena, stooping as if to warm her hands, but really
endeavoring to shade her face.

"'_It says I must delay no longer_,' he answered, trying to assume an
air of indifference.

"'_When shall you start_?' she said, resuming her work and fixing her
eyes on her pattern.

"'_To-morrow, at the latest_,' he replied, transferring the letter to
his pocket.

"'_Have you told my aunt_?' she said, searching her work-basket for
her scissors.

"'_Not yet: I must do it now_,' he said, putting back the little
ornament his elbow had displaced.

"'_Shall you go direct to London_?' she said, trying to disentangle a
skein of colored yarn.

"'_No: I stop one night at the Grange_,' he said quietly, but with an
air of decision.

"'_Then I will ask you to be the bearer of my letter_,' she added,
laying down her work as she spoke.

"'_Is that all you will permit me to do for you_?' he asked anxiously.

"'_Oh, I never burden my friends_,' she said, raising her head and
tossing back her curls.

"'_Then you have no belief in true friendship_,' he answered in a tone
of bitterness."

"That is pretty good," said Constance to herself, "but I will take
these two young people out of doors: perhaps Philip may be better
pleased:

"'_Your letter has arrived, I see_,' said Helena, advancing as Bertram
opened the garden gate.

"'_Yes, I have just read it_,' he replied as he secured the fastening.

"'_Well_?' said Helena, taking the path to the house.

"'_It says I must delay no longer_,' he replied, proffering her a
bunch of wild-flowers he had gathered in his walk.

"'_When shall you start_?' said Helena, turning away to pluck some
rosebuds, which she added to her bouquet.

"'_Tomorrow, at the latest_,' he answered, flinging aside roughly a
branch that crossed his path.

"'_Have you told my aunt_?' said Helena, tying the strings of her hat.

"'_No: I must do it now_,' he said, holding out his hand to relieve
her of her parasol as they entered the shady avenue.

"'_Shall you go direct to London_?' she asked hurriedly.

"'_No: