ing her?'

"He looked surprised, then wholly incredulous. 'You are mistaken, Mercy.
You are prejudiced against Semantha.'

"I grew angry. I did not know that many men, acute enough to all else,
are stone-blind where the wiles of a woman are concerned. 'You may go
then, if you like. I see you don't care for me,' I said bitterly.

"'You know I do care for you,' said Ephraim. His voice was softer. I
might have won him then, if I would have stooped to persuade. But I
would not. My pride was hurt. I turned away from him.

"Presently Semantha came out and they drove off.

"Pretty soon Elihu Parsons brought his sleigh round, flung down the
reins, and came in to say good night. He held my hand and lingered,
talking, when I was eager for his going. My gayety had fled, and every
word cost me a pang. At last he said, 'I am going by your house. Can I
carry any message for you?'

"A wild thought darted into my mind, 'Going by our house? O, if I might
go too!'

"'You can!' he said eagerly. 'I will take you with the greatest
pleasure.'

"In an instant I had resolved to go. It seemed to me that I should die
if I stayed under that roof another night. So I begged him to wait a
minute, ran up stairs, packed my things; and came down and told the
family that I was going home. They seemed thunderstruck. Only Prudence
spoke.

"'Very well,' said she. 'But I suppose you know it is all over between
you and Ephraim if you go off in this way.'

"I told her that I knew it was all over, thanks to her, and I hoped it
was a pleasure to her to reflect that she had separated two persons who
would never have had a hard thought of each other but for her. Mary came
out into the entry to me crying, and said she hoped we should make it
up. But I told her that was not likely. And so we drove away.

"I was dull enough now, and Elihu had the talk mostly to himself. It was
not till we were almost home that he said something which roused me up.
And then I was angry with him, and asked him what he thought of me to
suppose I would so readily on with the new love before I was off with
the old. But I had no sooner made this speech than I burst into tears,
and prayed him to forgive me, for I knew I had done wrong, and not say
any more to me, since I was so wretched. I do not know well what reply
he made, for before I had done speaking I was at home. There was the
dear old house I had so longed for,--the little, homely, unpainted
house, with the well-swee