w you felt about it. And,
besides, it really was necessary that you should move about to keep
yourself from freezing. But the great reason for my not encouraging you
to go on talking in that way was that I was afraid people might come
into the tunnel, and as, of course, you would not know that they were
there, you would go on making love to me through my diploma case, and
you know I should have perished with shame if I had had to stand there
with that old Mr. Boyce, and I don't know who else, listening to your
words, which were very sweet to me, Walter, but which would have sounded
awfully funny to them."

When she said that my words had been sweet to her I dropped the
consideration of all other subjects.

When, about ten minutes afterward, we came out of the shaft we were met
by Susan.

"Bless my soul and body, Mr. Cuthbert!" she exclaimed. "Did you find
that young lady down there in the centre of the earth? It seems to me as
if everything that you want comes to you out of the ground. But I have
been looking for you to tell you that Mr. Havelot has been here after
his daughter, and I'm sure if he had known where she was, he would have
been scared out of his wits."

"Father here!" exclaimed Agnes. "Where is he now?"

"I think he has gone home, miss. Indeed I'm sure of it; for my daughter
Jennie, who was over here the same as all the other people in the
county, I truly believe told him--and I was proud she had the spirit
to speak up that way to him--that your heart was almost broke when you
heard about Mr. Cuthbert being shut up in the ice, and that most likely
you was in your own room a-cryin' your eyes out. When he heard that he
stood lookin' all around the place, and he asked me if he might go
in the house; and when I told him he was most welcome, he went in. I
offered to show him about, which he said was no use, that he had been
there often enough; and he went everywhere, I truly believe, except in
the garret and the cellar. And after he got through with that he went
out to the barn and then walked home."

"I must go to him immediately," said Agnes.

"But not alone," said I. And together we walked through the woods, over
the little field and across the Havelot lawn to the house. We were told
that the old gentleman was in his library, and together we entered the
room. Mr. Havelot was sitting by a table on which were lying several
open volumes of an encyclopedia. When he turned and saw us, he closed
his book,