and which had now returned to it and was very urgent with it no less a question than this whether he should allow himself to fall in love with pet he was twice her age he changed the leg he had crossed over the other and tried the calculation again but could not bring out the total at less he was twice her age well he was young in appearance young in health and strength young in heart a man was certainly not old at forty and many men were not in circumstances to marry or did not marry until they attained that time of life on the other hand the question was not what he thought of the point but what she thought of it he believed that mr was disposed to entertain a ripe regard for him and he knew that he had a sincere regard for mr and his good wife he could foresee that to this beautiful only child of whom they were so fond to any husband would be a trial of their love which perhaps they never yet had had the fortitude to contemplate but the more beautiful and winning and charming she the nearer they must always be to the necessity of approaching it and why not in his favor as well as in another s he had got so far it came again into his head that the question was not what they thought of it but what she thought of it arthur was a retiring man with a sense of many and he so exalted the merits of the beautiful in his mind and depressed his own that when he pinned himself to this point his hopes began to fail him he came to the final resolution as he made himself ready for dinner that he would not allow himself to fall in love with pet they were only five at a round table and it was very pleasant indeed they had so many places and people to and they were all so easy and cheerful together daniel either sitting out like an amused spectator at cards or coming in with some shrewd little experiences of his own when it happened to be to the purpose that they might have been together twenty times and not have known so much of one another and miss said mr after they had recalled a number of fellow travellers has anybody seen miss i have said she had brought a little mantle which her young mistress had sent little for and was bending oyer her putting it on when she lifted up her dark eyes and made this unexpected answer her young mistress exclaimed you seen miss � where here miss said how an impatient glance from seemed as saw it to answer with my eyes but her only answer in words was i met her near the church what was she doing there i wonder said mr not going to it i should think � she had written to me first said oh murmured her mistress take your hands away i feel as if some one else was touching me she said it in a quick involuntary way but half and not more or than a favourite child might have done who laughed next moment set her full red lips together and crossed her arms upon her bosom did you wish to know sir she said looking at mr what miss wrote to me about well returned mr since you ask the question and we are all friends here perhaps you may as well mention it if you are so inclined she knew when we were travelling where you lived said and she had seen me not quite � not quite not quite in a good temper suggested mr shaking his head at the dark eyes with a quiet caution take a little time � count five and twenty she pressed her lips together again and took a long deep breath so she wrote to me to say that if i ever felt myself hurt she looked down at her young mistress or found myself worried she looked down at her again i might go to her and be treated i was to think of it and could speak to her by the church so i went there to thank her said her young mistress putting her hand up over her shoulder that the other might take it miss almost frightened me when we parted and i scarcely liked to think of her just now as having been so near me without my knowing it dear stood for a moment immovable hey cried mr count another five and twenty she might have counted a dozen when she bent and put her lips to the caressing hand it patted her cheek as it touched the owner s beautiful curls and went away now there said mr softly as he gave a turn to the on his right hand to the sugar towards himself there s a girl who might be lost and ruined if she wasn t among practical people mother and i know solely from being practical that there are times when that girl s whole nature seems to itself against seeing us so bound up in pet no father and mother were bound up in her poor soul i don t like to think of the way in which that little child with all that passion and protest in her feels when she hears the fifth on a sunday i am always inclined to call out church count five and twenty besides his dumb waiter mr had two other not dumb in the persons of two parlor maids with rosy faces and bright t es who were a highly ornamental part of the table and why not you see said mr on this head as i always say to mother why not have something pretty to look at if you have anything 