h the new school-master, whom
Mary pitied for having fallen on people so unable to appreciate his
musical training as herself and her father. The whole party walked back
with her as far as the shade lasted; and at the end of the next field
she turned, saw them standing round the stile, thought what happy people
they were, and then resumed her wonder whither Laura's youthfulness had
flown.

The situation of Philip and Laura had not changed. His regiment had
never been at any great distance from Hollywell, and he often came,
venturing more as Laura learnt to see him with less trepidation. He
seldom or never was alone with her; but his influence was as strong as
ever, and look, word, and gesture, which she alone could understand,
told her what she was to him, and revealed his thoughts. To him she was
devoted, all her doings were with a view to please him, and deserve his
affection; he was her world, and sole object. Indeed, she was sometimes
startled by perceiving that tenderly as she loved her own family, all
were subordinate to him. She had long since known the true name of her
feelings for him; she could not tell when or how the certainty had come,
but she was conscious that it was love that they had acknowledged for
one another and that she only lived in the light of his love. Still she
did not realize the evil of concealment; it was so deep a sensation of
her innermost heart, that she never could imagine revealing it to any
living creature, and she had besides so surrendered her judgment to her
idol, that no thought could ever cross her that he had enjoined what was
wrong. Her heart and soul were his alone, and she left the future to him
without an independent desire or reflection. All the embarrassments and
discomforts which her secret occasioned her were met willingly for
his sake, and these were not a few, though time had given her more
self-command, or, perhaps, more properly speaking, had hardened her.

She always had a dread of tete-a-tetes and conversations over novels,
and these were apt to be unavoidable when Eveleen was at Hollywell.
The twilight wanderings on the terrace were a daily habit, and Eveleen
almost always paired with her. On this evening in particular, Laura was
made very uncomfortable by Eveleen's declaring that it was positively
impossible and unnatural that the good heroine of some novel should have
concealed her engagement from her parents. Laura could not help saying
that there might be man