red into Miss Pimpernell's parlour; but _she_ was not
there. Somebody else was, though; for, who should get up from the dear
old lady's seat in the fireside corner--where she always sat, winter and
summer alike--but, my darling!

The surprise was almost too much for me, it was so unexpected. I
thought it was her ghost at first.

"Min!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, Frank!"--she said, coming forwards eagerly--"and could you have the
heart to go away without my seeing you again?"

I drew back.

"Min,"--said I,--"do not come near me! You do not know what has
occurred; how I have sinned; how unworthy I am even to speak to you!"

She would not be denied, however. She came nearer me, and took my hand.
"But, you have repented, Frank,"--she said--"have you not?"

"Oh, my darling!"--I said,--"I _have_ repented; but that will not bring
back the past. I can never hope to be forgiven, I know. I ought not to
speak to you even!"

"Ah, Frank!"--she replied, looking up into my face with her dear grey
eyes, which I had thought I would never look upon again.--"Don't you
remember that sermon the vicar preached last year, when we were in
church together? and, don't you remember the words of his text, how
assuring they ought to be to us?--`Though your sins be as scarlet, they
shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall
be as wool!'"

We were both silent.

Presently, as we sat side by side, Min spoke to me again.

"You will not forget me, Frank, will you?" she asked.

"That is very likely!" I said, laughing in my heart at the idea.

"And you will be good, Frank, will you not?"

"My darling," I said, "with God's grace I shall never from henceforth be
unworthy of your trust in me, either in thought, in word, or, in deed."

"But America is _so_ far off!" she said again after a bit, with a tender
little sigh.

"Not so _very_ far,"--I replied,--"and, though my body may be a few
miles distant from you--for it _is_ only a few miles over the sea--you
may know that my heart will always be with you. I shall be ever
thinking of the time when I can come back and claim you as my own
darling little wife!"

"But I can make no promise, you know, Frank!"--she said.

"Never mind that, darling!"--I replied.--"I am sanguine enough to
believe you will not change towards me if I deserve you by my life; and
_I_ shall never marry anyone else, I know!"

"It is so hard, too, our not being able to write to each other!