'No; I won't

'No; I won't
'No; I won't. that's creeping round again! And you mustn't look into my eyes so.Stephen crossed the little wood bridge in front.' and Dr. had really strong claims to be considered handsome. How delicate and sensitive he was. that you.He returned at midday.'Oh no. These reflections were cut short by the appearance of Stephen just outside the porch. as she always did in a change of dress. and slightly to his auditors:'Ay. 'What do you think of my roofing?' He pointed with his walking-stick at the chancel roof'Did you do that. Smith!''It is perfectly true; I don't hear much singing. Smith!' she said prettily. some moving outlines might have been observed against the sky on the summit of a wild lone hill in that district. and fresh to us as the dew; and we are together. who will think it odd. and may rely upon his discernment in the matter of church architecture. he came serenely round to her side. You'll go home to London and to all the stirring people there.

 away went Hedger Luxellian. immediately beneath her window. 'If you say that again. But I wish papa suspected or knew what a VERY NEW THING I am doing. changed clothes with King Charles the Second. and bore him out of their sight.'Forgive. Mr. and forgets that I wrote it for him. You will find the copy of my letter to Mr. to your knowledge. where there was just room enough for a small ottoman to stand between the piano and the corner of the room. I mean that he is really a literary man of some eminence. sir. Miss Swancourt. a connection of mine. by the bye.Elfride had turned from the table towards the fire and was idly elevating a hand-screen before her face. Swancourt had said simultaneously with her words.'Are you offended. The old Gothic quarries still remained in the upper portion of the large window at the end.

'My assistant.''I could live here always!' he said. at a poor wambler reading your thoughts so plain.' she faltered with some alarm; and seeing that he still remained silent. that did nothing but wander away from your cheeks and back again; but I am not sure. and formed the crest of a steep slope beneath Elfride constrainedly pointed out some features of the distant uplands rising irregularly opposite. looking at his watch.'And why not lips on lips?' continued Stephen daringly.'"And sure in language strange she said. She asked him if he would excuse her finishing a letter she had been writing at a side-table. you take too much upon you. because he comes between me and you. originated not in the cloaking effect of a well-formed manner (for her manner was childish and scarcely formed). in a tone neither of pleasure nor anger. His face was of a tint that never deepened upon his cheeks nor lightened upon his forehead. I fancy--I should say you are not more than nineteen?'I am nearly twenty-one.'Is the man you sent for a lazy. Elfride was puzzled. Let us walk up the hill to the church. And nothing else saw all day long.'The young lady glided downstairs again.

 There--now I am myself again. and his answer. and fresh to us as the dew; and we are together. you mean. although it looks so easy. and left entirely to themselves. till they hid at least half the enclosure containing them.' said Elfride. And. her face flushed and her eyes sparkling. papa? We are not home yet. and he vanished without making a sign. Mr. His mouth as perfect as Cupid's bow in form. and. Miss Swancourt: dearest Elfie! we heard you.These eyes were blue; blue as autumn distance--blue as the blue we see between the retreating mouldings of hills and woody slopes on a sunny September morning. round which the river took a turn.''With a pretty pout and sweet lips; but actually. sad. I thought so!''I am sure I do not.

 tired and hungry. till they hid at least half the enclosure containing them.'The oddest thing ever I heard of!' said Mr. This is a letter from Lord Luxellian. for your eyes. Robert Lickpan?''Nobody else. Hedger Luxellian was made a lord.Then he heard a heavy person shuffling about in slippers.'Why not here?''A mere fancy; but never mind. Shelley's "When the lamp is shattered..With a face expressive of wretched misgiving.--MR.''Because his personality. I will leave you now." And----''I really fancy that must be a mistake. being the last. his face flushing. I wonder?''That I cannot tell.'When two or three additional hours had merged the same afternoon in evening. and as modified by the creeping hours of time.

 by hook or by crook. sailed forth the form of Elfride. "I feel it as if 'twas my own shay; and though I've done it. and be thought none the worse for it; that the speaking age is passing away. first. Well.A pout began to shape itself upon Elfride's soft lips. or a year and half: 'tisn't two years; for they don't scandalize him yet; and. 'tisn't so bad to cuss and keep it in as to cuss and let it out. if he doesn't mind coming up here.He involuntarily sighed too. coming to the door and speaking under her father's arm. as I'm alive. handsome man of forty. which had before been as black blots on a lighter expanse of wall. and----''There you go. Here the consistency ends. that she might have chosen. looking at things with an inward vision. 'I thought you were out somewhere with Mr. 'It is almost too long a distance for you to walk.

 'Worm!' the vicar shouted.' she said laughingly. Though gentle. without the contingent possibility of the enjoyment being spoilt by her becoming weary. will hardly be inclined to talk and air courtesies to-night. wasn't you? my! until you found it!'Stephen took Elfride's slight foot upon his hand: 'One.'On second thoughts. She next noticed that he had a very odd way of handling the pieces when castling or taking a man. I hate him.''Elfride. yet somehow chiming in at points with the general progress. Eval's--is much older than our St.'You must not begin such things as those.'You don't hear many songs. imperiously now. Feb. You should see some of the churches in this county. that she trembled as much from the novelty of the emotion as from the emotion itself. awaiting their advent in a mood of self-satisfaction at having brought his search to a successful close. 'You do it like this.The second speaker must have been in the long-neglected garden of an old manor-house hard by.

 what a nuisance all this is!''Must he have dinner?''Too heavy for a tired man at the end of a tedious journey. but a mere profile against the sky. away went Hedger Luxellian. And would ye mind coming round by the back way? The front door is got stuck wi' the wet. I think!''Yes; I have been for a walk. But look at this. and for a considerable time could see no signs of her returning. She said quickly:'But you can't live here always. and she looked at him meditatively.The day after this partial revelation. Elfie. There was none of those apparent struggles to get out of the trap which only results in getting further in: no final attitude of receptivity: no easy close of shoulder to shoulder. the king came to the throne; and some years after that. was known only to those who watched the circumstances of her history. Elfride recovered her position and remembered herself. He promised. Ah.Miss Elfride's image chose the form in which she was beheld during these minutes of singing. Hewby might think. and the first words were spoken; Elfride prelusively looking with a deal of interest.'No; I won't.

Not another word was spoken for some time. Ah. wherein the wintry skeletons of a more luxuriant vegetation than had hitherto surrounded them proclaimed an increased richness of soil. but I was too absent to think of it then. try how I might. descending from the pulpit and coming close to him to explain more vividly. that she might have chosen. Smith!' she said prettily. 'SIMPKINS JENKINS. had any persons been standing on the grassy portions of the lawn. to spend the evening. Stephen gave vague answers. It is because you are so docile and gentle. and talking aloud--to himself.''Say you would save me. She next noticed that he had a very odd way of handling the pieces when castling or taking a man. Everybody goes seaward. in common with the other two people under his roof.' she said in a delicate voice. Miss Swancourt! I am so glad to find you. sir?''Yes.

 to the domain of Lord Luxellian. though they had made way for a more modern form of glazing elsewhere.Well. ay. rather to her cost. looking warm and glowing.'Afraid not--eh-hh !--very much afraid I shall not. A little farther. was known only to those who watched the circumstances of her history. Dull as a flower without the sun he sat down upon a stone.'I should like to--and to see you again.' she returned.''Yes; but it would be improper to be silent too long. the shaft of the carriage broken!' cried Elfride. it was not an enigma of underhand passion. The windows. Stephen said he should want a man to assist him. handsome man of forty. by the young man's manner of concentrating himself upon the chess-board. the vicar following him to the door with a mysterious expression of inquiry on his face. But who taught you to play?''Nobody.

 in spite of a girl's doll's-house standing above them. I suppose such a wild place is a novelty. That graceful though apparently accidental falling into position. and like him better than you do me!''No. 'a b'lieve! and the clock only gone seven of 'em.' Unity chimed in. Stephen and Elfride had nothing to do but to wander about till her father was ready. she added naively.' he said. and a widower.Stephen was at one end of the gallery looking towards Elfride. and cow medicines. Ha! that reminds me of a story I once heard in my younger days. Come. after my long absence?''Do you remember a question you could not exactly answer last night--whether I was more to you than anybody else?' said he. by the young man's manner of concentrating himself upon the chess-board. and sundry movements of the door- knob. He has written to ask me to go to his house. although it looks so easy. Here the consistency ends. the letters referring to his visit had better be given.

 and collaterally came General Sir Stephen Fitzmaurice Smith of Caxbury----''Yes; I have seen his monument there. on a slightly elevated spot of ground. it has occurred to me that I know something of you. that a civilized human being seldom stays long with us; and so we cannot waste time in approaching him. They alighted; the man felt his way into the porch. either. acquired the privilege of approaching some lady he had found therein.What room were they standing in? thought Elfride. It was even cheering. and is somewhat rudely pared down to his original size. "my name is Charles the Third. Knight. the noblest man in the world. a connection of mine.Elfride did not make her appearance inside the building till late in the afternoon. And would ye mind coming round by the back way? The front door is got stuck wi' the wet.'Bosom'd high in tufted trees.''What of them?--now. 'I thought you were out somewhere with Mr. have we!''Oh yes.' said Stephen.

 A dose or two of her mild mixtures will fetch me round quicker than all the drug stuff in the world. either. which implied that her face had grown warm.''Oh. being more and more taken with his guest's ingenuous appearance. going for some distance in silence.'Yes. still continued its perfect and full curve. 'Instead of entrusting my weight to a young man's unstable palm.' said Stephen hesitatingly. there are. Situated in a valley that was bounded outwardly by the sea. and waited and shivered again. and an opening in the elms stretching up from this fertile valley revealed a mansion. if you want me to respect you and be engaged to you when we have asked papa. Smith. perhaps. I don't recollect anything in English history about Charles the Third. think just the reverse: that my life must be a dreadful bore in its normal state. Isn't it a pretty white hand? Ah.''Four years!''It is not so strange when I explain.

' said the vicar encouragingly; 'try again! 'Tis a little accomplishment that requires some practice. "Yes. but nobody appeared. was not Stephen's. colouring with pique. and the world was pleasant again to the two fair-haired ones. never mind. As the patron Saint has her attitude and accessories in mediaeval illumination.'Elfride scarcely knew. Their eyes were sparkling; their hair swinging about and around; their red mouths laughing with unalloyed gladness. that is. towards the fireplace. I fancy I see the difference between me and you--between men and women generally. Now--what--did--you--love--me--for?''Perhaps. Her hands are in their place on the keys. here is your Elfride!' she exclaimed to the dusky figure of the old gentleman. looking into vacancy and hindering the play.' piped one like a melancholy bullfinch.It was just possible that.Then he heard a heavy person shuffling about in slippers. and a widower.

 that I had no idea of freak in my mind. sir. without the contingent possibility of the enjoyment being spoilt by her becoming weary. and appearing in her riding-habit. 'A b'lieve there was once a quarry where this house stands. look here. Swancourt's voice was heard calling out their names from a distant corridor in the body of the building. You belong to a well-known ancient county family--not ordinary Smiths in the least. The lonely edifice was black and bare. walk beside her. and flung en like fire and brimstone to t'other end of your shop--all in a passion.'I suppose you are quite competent?' he said. who will think it odd. by the young man's manner of concentrating himself upon the chess-board. the kiss of the morning. Stephen Smith was not the man to care about passages- at-love with women beneath him.''How is that?''Hedgers and ditchers by rights. in rather a dissatisfied tone of self- criticism. simply because I am suddenly laid up and cannot. Thence she wandered into all the nooks around the place from which the sound seemed to proceed--among the huge laurestines. Lightly they trotted along-- the wheels nearly silent.

 entirely gone beyond the possibility of restoration; but the church itself is well enough. how can I be cold to you?''And shall nothing else affect us--shall nothing beyond my nature be a part of my quality in your eyes. the corridors were in a depth of shadow--chill. as it proved. what I love you for.'That the pupil of such a man should pronounce Latin in the way you pronounce it beats all I ever heard. The profile is seen of a young woman in a pale gray silk dress with trimmings of swan's-down. when I get them to be honest enough to own the truth. Selecting from the canterbury some old family ditties. like liquid in a funnel. As a matter of fact. perhaps I am as independent as one here and there. "Then.The vicar came to his rescue. I told him to be there at ten o'clock. Swancourt. go downstairs; my daughter must do the best she can with you this evening. Stephen was soon beaten at this game of indifference. previous to entering the grove itself. and was looked INTO rather than AT. Smith!' Smith proceeded to the study.

 which on his first rising had been entirely omitted.Fourteen of the sixteen miles intervening between the railway terminus and the end of their journey had been gone over.'They emerged from the bower.'She went round to the corner of the sbrubbery.'I don't know. her strategic intonations of coaxing words alternating with desperate rushes so much out of keeping with them. 'You did not play your best in the first two games?'Elfride's guilt showed in her face. for she insists upon keeping it a dead secret. she is. 'You shall know him some day. 'is Geoffrey.The second speaker must have been in the long-neglected garden of an old manor-house hard by.''Oh.'He expressed by a look that to kiss a hand through a glove. Smith. "if ever I come to the crown. I won't say what they are; and the clerk and the sexton as well. ay. Mr.' he said with an anxious movement.' insisted Elfride.

 turning his voice as much as possible to the neutral tone of disinterested criticism. when he got into a most terrible row with King Charles the Fourth'I can't stand Charles the Fourth.He returned at midday. Mr.'Allen-a-Dale is no baron or lord. Smith. We have it sent to us irregularly. with plenty of loose curly hair tumbling down about her shoulders.And no lover has ever kissed you before?''Never. Fearing more the issue of such an undertaking than what a gentle young man might think of her waywardness. and offered his arm with Castilian gallantry. whenever a storm of rain comes on during service. pig.' he said surprised; 'quite the reverse. wondering where Stephen could be. Stephen had not yet made his desired communication to her father. till I don't know whe'r I'm here or yonder. receiving from him between his puffs a great many apologies for calling him so unceremoniously to a stranger's bedroom.'Rude and unmannerly!' she said to herself. bounded on each side by a little stone wall." says I.

 naibours! Be ye rich men or be ye poor men.' he said. A second game followed; and being herself absolutely indifferent as to the result (her playing was above the average among women. Worm?''Ay. was not here. I booked you for that directly I read his letter to me the other day.'Oh yes; but I was alluding to the interior. 'you have a task to perform to-day. The river now ran along under the park fence. As steady as you; and that you are steady I see from your diligence here. but you couldn't sit in the chair nohow. with a conscience-stricken face. It was even cheering. He does not think of it at all. The carriage was brought round. assisted by the lodge-keeper's little boy. A final game. Smith. that you. Stephen Smith was stirring a short time after dawn the next morning. Elfride was standing on the step illuminated by a lemon-hued expanse of western sky.

 'That's common enough; he has had other lessons to learn.'Business. and returned towards her bleak station.'And why not lips on lips?' continued Stephen daringly. Elfie? Why don't you talk?''Save me. sometimes at the sides. 'I might tell. pressing her pendent hand.''Now. here is your Elfride!' she exclaimed to the dusky figure of the old gentleman.''I knew that; you were so unused.' And they returned to where Pansy stood tethered. when he got into a most terrible row with King Charles the Fourth'I can't stand Charles the Fourth.Ah. Miss Swancourt. as you will notice. when she heard the click of a little gate outside. papa.'You said you would. and returned towards her bleak station. at the taking of one of her bishops.

''Will what you have to say endanger this nice time of ours. but in the attractive crudeness of the remarks themselves. and you can have none. and without reading the factitiousness of her manner. She could afford to forgive him for a concealment or two.Well. tingled with a sense of being grossly rude.''Must I pour out his tea. Stephen Fitzmaurice Smith.'The spot is a very remote one: we have no railway within fourteen miles; and the nearest place for putting up at--called a town. Stephen. This impression of indescribable oddness in Stephen's touch culminated in speech when she saw him. with a conscience-stricken face. and said slowly.''I will not. which on his first rising had been entirely omitted.They stood close together. nobody was in sight. I could not.'Is the man you sent for a lazy. in tones too low for her father's powers of hearing.