was truly not engaged to this fellow quickened and his regret that the girls were inclined to behave so the moment mr turned his back it began � that perpetual going and coming of it really wasn t right sally was a nature but he might speak to mr no that wouldn t do he might speak to but didn t care � he was absorbed in his wife and his speculations his little dinner at mrs s passed in irritation and discomfort he stands at the window his brain full of her graces her fascinating cunning and au her and his mind changed as the sunset that the village he knew nothing yet of his passion nor did he think he could not bear to lose her until he went from the cottage towards his he thought of his portrait of her he wanted to muse on the little eyes as he had rendered them and the strained grace that recalled the manner of the early in this picture at least she was his and his soul drank its fill of enchantment now he saw hardly at all the faults in the drawing and his pain softened and almost ceased in the and romance of but when he put down the the flow of emotion ceased and he stared on the and image of his thought � passing through the shade with the young stranger who was he by whose authority was he there was he one of those men whose only pleasure is to tempt girls spring days to corrupt them had he thought of this before his duty would have been to and he saw himself down the garden and telling that he insisted on her coming back to the to her sister it did not matter if he had no right he was prepared to answer for his conduct to her father and brother did that man look like one of those men who are always sitting with girls in far comers out of sight ah if he were sure th t he was one of those he would seek him out force him to speak his intentions if a girl s father and brother will not look after her a friend must say i will yes he would have to him kill him if it were necessary she might hate him for it at first but in the end she would recognise him as her it was too late now the man was in tomorrow elated with what he deemed duty with what he deemed for the sake of the girl he strode about thinking of the no thought came to him of how much of the sin if sin there was had originated in he saw her merely as a poor little thing led like a lamb following the idea of saving came the idea of possession when she clung to the husband she would tremble at the danger she had escaped their home their table their fireside protection from evil now all wild winds might rage � they would be safe the vision was constitutional and characteristic of his soul he was out of thought of all but himself his dream in pure idea removed from and independent of all � out of concern of the world s favour � mount mr or even the girl s grace as this temper passed as reality again interposed and as he saw the garden with leaving spring days him for another he viewed her conduct suddenly in relation to himself what did she mean by treating him so and for whom one day he would be lord mount the knew nobody he had only met a lot of at their house they did not know any one but the were the father was a vulgar old city man who talked about money and bought ridiculous pictures the girls too were vulgar and coarse god only knew how many lovers they had not had was the best but he was a fool too his and his vegetable shop � hateful the whole place was hateful he wished he had never come there since he had been there he had never been treated even as a gentleman the had treated him the skeleton of frank s soul is easy to trace in this mental crisis � his his wish to sally forth and save women his yearning for a pretty little wife who would sit on his knee and kiss him saying poor old boy you are tired now therefore an and distorted apprehension of things a tendency to think himself a wronged and persecuted person and under much and the that is so in the next morning he thought of her lightly without bitterness and almost without desire but after breakfast his heart began to ache he strove to read he went to his he went to but he saw in all things she was with him � a sort of vague pain that kept him strangely conscious of life once convinced he was a lover he became the man with a mission his heart swelled with mysterious and felt the spur of duty no longer was spring days delay a day an hour might involve the loss of all should he go round to the house and tell of the message he had received to love her and save her she would now be watering her flowers in the green houses but that other fellow might be there � he had heard something about an appointment no he had better write k he wrote at once absolutely at once he would be in time for the six o clock delivery a sheet of paper he wrote dearest i have loved you a long while i remember many things that make me think that i have always loved you but to day i have learnt that you are the one great and absorbing influence � that 