hat. It's the same colour, dark
eyebrows and fair hair. And not thinking of her pride. She thinks of her
walk, and the end of it, where he's waiting. The eyes are not the same.'

'The same?' said Caroline.

'As this.' He tapped on the left side. She did not understand it at all.

'The bit of work done in Vienna,' said he.

She blushed. 'Do you admire that so much?'

'I do.'

'We consider it not to be compared to this.'

'Perhaps not. I like it better.'

'But why do you like that better?' said Caroline, deeming it his
wilfulness.

Patrick put out a finger. 'The eyes there don't seem to say, "I'm
yours to make a hero of you." But look,' he drew forth from under his
waistcoat the miniature, 'what don't they say here! It's a bright day
for the Austrian capital that has her by the river Danube. Yours has a
landscape; I've made acquaintance with the country, I caught the print
of it on my ride yesterday; and those are your mountains. But mine has
her all to herself while she's thinking undisturbed in her boudoir.
I have her and her thoughts; that's next to her soul. I've an idea
it ought to be given to Philip.' He craned his head round to woo some
shadow of assent to the daring suggestion. 'Just to break the shock
'twill be to my brother, Miss Adister. If I could hand him this, and
say, "Keep it, for you'll get nothing more of her; and that's worth a
kingdom."'

Caroline faltered: 'Your brother does not know?'

'Pity him. His blow 's to come. He can't or he 'd have spoken of it to
me. I was with him a couple of hours and he never mentioned a word of
it, nor did Captain Con. We talked of Ireland, and the service, and some
French cousins we have.'

'Ladies?' Caroline inquired by instinct.

'And charming,' said Patrick, 'real dear girls. Philip might have one,
if he would, and half my property, to make it right with her parents.
There'd be little use in proposing it. He was dead struck when the shaft
struck him. That's love! So I determined the night after I'd shaken his
hand I'd be off to Earlsfont and try my hardest for him. It's hopeless
now. Only he might have the miniature for his bride. I can tell him a
trifle to help him over his agony. She would have had him, she would,
Miss Adister, if she hadn't feared he'd be talked of as Captain Con
has been--about the neighbourhood, I mean, because he,' Patrick added
hurriedly, 'he married an heiress and sank his ambition for distinction
like a man who has finished