ve come over to say he asked a little later as they were sitting in the library he with a big at his feet she with a pet in her lap now to make doubly sure there would be no in this affair edward had sent a note to mrs half an hour before the programme of the day and that excellent lady had given her final directions but the girl with a assumed a look of curiosity which implied that she had not the slightest idea what subject was uppermost in her visitor s mind well said i m going abroad slightly by the of the statement which she had supposed would come later as an explanation miss colored and could not speak the young man misunderstood her silence and thought to himself with something like alarm can it be that she loves me yes he continued my firm wants me to go to the east on a matter of business that will take four or five months and i m to start in five or six weeks from now miss recovered her outward with an effort it will be very pleasant for you she said with a voice which still had a trace of strangeness in it their marriage bond the young man felt again fear that this girl was in love with him very deeply in love and that the thought of parting from him for so long was weighing heavily on her heart with all his soul he hoped it was not so however he went on with the message he had been given hy his father feeling that nothing was to he gained hy the issue yes he answered it will be decidedly pleasant it is the sort of journey i have always wanted to make it pleases father too he regards it as a proof that the firm believe in my capacity he says there is only one thing more that he wants accomplished before he dies grew very serious he wants to see me married miss searched his face so narrowly as he said this that was disconcerted her serenity seemed to have returned for she did not as she replied that she appreciated mr s sentiments he says a good wife and a good business are the best things a man can have pursued though i believe he put the business first he added with a little laugh he wanted to do something to relieve the strain having settled the business part the question of a wife comes next and it isn t a question either in my case for i have never thought of but one woman in that connection he on thinking that he was not doing it very well but feeling that the way to progress was to keep pushing ahead ah said miss i suppose most young men have been in love twenty times before they reach your age he exclaimed their experience must differ widely then from mine i ve never been in love at all tt i understand the symptoms a spot of red came into their marriage bond the girl s cheek and stayed there there is one girl however who was the of my childhood and has been the companion of my youth whom i esteem highly and to whom i should consider it a great honor to be allied will you marry me he looked at her and saw that she was smiling good for a moment she made no verbal reply your answer said calmly it is yes said the girl i will marry you and i thank you for the honor your proposal does me it struck him that this was not the usual way this sort of thing was done he had asked the momentous question and she had accepted him in much the same manner as they might have for a house or a piano but if it satisfied her it did him he had carried out his father s wish that he should engage himself before he sailed for europe i don t know much about these matters he said after taking her hand and giving it a slight pressure immediately dropping it when this was done but i believe the next thing is to inform your mother and my father and then to send a note to the newspapers she nodded will see to the newspapers she said it will be all right and the the time that has nothing to do with this has it he inquired it is a matter for future consideration perhaps you had best talk that over with mamma said the red spot in her cheek a little not now i don t mean but some time before you leave replied that he would certainly do so and aa their marriage bond there seemed nothing further to say in this connection he began to mention an engagement of another sort that he was obliged to keep and to pull out his watch and inspect the figures before he had gone however mrs came down attired for a drive and greeted him i have a bit of news for you he said as soon as he could get a chance i i ve proposed to and she has accepted me the mother s arms were clasped around the daughter s form as if in an instinct of protection she cried in suppressed tones is this true for answer the girl hid her face in the maternal bosom precisely as it had been arranged an hour before that she should do well said the widow wiping away her i hope i know you will both be happy i have seen you together all these years and i confess the thought has come to me that this might be the result you are fitted for each other i do not know any other man to whom i could think of giving my child our families 