d Alice.

"Yes;--love him: as a woman should love her husband. Is not your
heart his? Alice, there need be no lies now. If it be so, it should
be your glory to say so, here, to me, as you hold that letter in your
hand."

"I can have no such glory, Kate. I have ever loved my cousin; but not
so passionately as you seem to think."

"Then there can be no passion in you."

"Perhaps not, Kate. I would sometimes hope that it is so. But come;
we shall be late; and you will be cold sitting there."

"I would sit here all night to be sure that your answer would be as
I would have it. But, Alice, at any rate you shall tell me before I
move what your answer is to be. I know you will not refuse him; but
make me happy by saying so with your own lips."

"I cannot tell you before you move, Kate."

"And why not?"

"Because I have not as yet resolved."

"Ah, that is impossible. That is quite impossible. On such a subject
and under such circumstances a woman must resolve at the first
moment. You had resolved, I know, before you had half read the
letter;--though, perhaps, it may not suit you to say so."

"You are quite mistaken. Come along and let us walk, and I will tell
you all." Then Kate arose, and they turned their back to the lake,
and began to make their way homewards. "I have not made up my mind as
to what answer I will give him; but I have shown you his letter in
order that I might have some one with whom I might speak openly. I
knew well how it would be, and that you would strive to hurry me into
an immediate promise."

"No;--no; I want nothing of the kind."

"But yet I could not deny myself the comfort of your friendship."

"No, Alice, I will not hurry you. I will do nothing that you do not
wish. But you cannot be surprised that I should be very eager. Has
it not been the longing of all my life? Have I not passed my time
plotting and planning and thinking of it till I have had time to
think of nothing else? Do you know what I suffered when, through
George's fault, the engagement was broken off? Was it not martyrdom
to me,--that horrid time in which your Crichton from Cambridgeshire
was in the ascendant? Did I not suffer the tortures of purgatory
while that went on;--and yet, on the whole, did I not bear them with
patience? And, now, can you be surprised that I am wild with joy when
I begin to see that everything will be as I wish;--for it will be as
I wish, Alice. It may be that you have not resolved to accept hi