ed, as you may perceive."

"Oh, you don't need to tell me that," said he; "one can see it with half
an eye. Come here, Nell, you little coquette: or I shall tell the Jew
you were afraid of mamma, and you will never hear an end of it as long
as you live."

"Elinor, I think you had better see, perhaps, what there is to make up
as good a meal as possible for Mr. Compton," said her mother, sitting
down opposite to the stranger, whose long limbs were stretched over
half the floor, with the intention of tripping up Elinor, it seemed;
but she glided past him and went on her way--not offended, oh, not at
all--waving her hand to him as she avoided the very choice joke of his
stretched-out foot.

"Mr. Compton," said Mrs. Dennistoun, "you will be Elinor's husband in
less than a fortnight."

"I hope so," he said, displaying the large cavern of a yawn under his
black moustache as he looked her in the face.

"And after that I will have no right to interfere; but, in the meantime,
this is my house, and I hope you will remember that these ways are not
mine, and that I am too old-fashioned to like them. I prefer a little
more respect to your betrothed."

"Oh, respect," he said. "I have never found that girls like too much
respect. But as you please. Well, look here, Nell," he said, catching
her by the arm as she came back and swinging her towards him, "your
mother thinks I'm too rough with you, my little dear."

"Do you, mamma?" said Elinor, faltering a little; but she had the
sweetest rose-flush on her cheeks and the moisture of joy in her eyes.
In all her twenty-three years she had never looked as she looked now.
Her life had been a happy one, but not like this. She had been always
beloved, and never had known for a day what it was to be neglected; yet
love had never appeared to her as it did now, so sweet, nor life so
beautiful. What strange delusion! what a wonderful incomprehensible
mistake! or so at least the mother thought, looking at her beautiful
girl with a pang at her heart.

"It is only his bad manners," said Elinor, in a voice which sounded like
a caress. "He knows very well how to behave. He can be as nice as any
one, and as pretty spoken, and careful not to offend. It is only
arriving so suddenly, and not being expected--or that he has forgotten
his nice manners to-night. Phil, do you hear what I say?"

Phil made himself into the semblance of a dog, and sat up and begged
for pardon. It was a trick which made pe