ver mind, aunt; but pray do not. I don't wish it." Miss Baker of
course obeyed, as she always did. And so George sat there, talking
about anything or nothing, rather lack-a-daisically, till he got up
to take his leave.

"You have not a horse here, I suppose?" said Miss Baker.

"No; but why do you ask? I can get one in ten minutes, no doubt."

"Because Caroline will be so glad to have some one to ride with her."

"Nothing will induce aunt Mary to mount a steed since the day she was
lifted out of her saddle at Jaffa," said Caroline.

"Oh, that journey, Mr. Bertram! but I am a stronger woman than I ever
thought I was to have lived through it."

It was soon arranged that George should go back to his inn and hire a
horse, and that he and Caroline should then ride together. In another
hour or so they were cantering up the face of Ridgebury Hill.

But the ride produced very little. Caroline here required her
attention, and George did not find it practicable to remain close
enough to his love, or long enough close to her, to say what he had
to say with that emphasis which he felt that the subject demanded.
There were some little tender allusions to feats of horsemanship done
in Syria, some mention of the Mount of Olives, of Miss Todd's picnic,
and the pool of Siloam, which might, if properly handled, have led
to much; but they did lead to nothing: and when George helped Miss
Waddington to dismount at Miss Baker's door, that young lady had
almost come to the conclusion that he had thought better of his love,
and that it would be well that she should think better of hers.

In accordance with our professed attempt at plain speaking, it may
be as well explained here that Miss Baker, with the view of sounding
her uncle's views and wishes, had observed to him that George had
appeared to her to admire Caroline very much. Had the old man
remarked, as he might so probably have done, that they were two
fools, and would probably become two beggars, Miss Baker would have
known that the match would be displeasing to him. But he had not done
so. "Ah!" he said; "did he? It is singular they should have met." Now
Miss Baker in her wisdom had taken this as a strong hint that the
match would not be displeasing to him.

Miss Baker had clearly been on George's side from the beginning.
Perhaps, had she shown a little opposition, Caroline's ardour might
have been heightened. As it was, she had professed to doubt. She had
nothing to say agai