her then too she had so much to say and plenty of time to say it for she was spending the day with her mother and after she had hoped he was well and inquired after his father and his grandmother and his sister and his brothers she began to talk about england and the wonderful things she had seen and the goodness of her young ladies felt more in love with her every moment and soon was carrying on two separate chains of thought � partly attending to wh t she was saying and at the same time telling himself now or never must be the moment if she is to go away engaged never thinking silly fellow what a poor look out for her it would be seeing that he had nothing to marry upon thus instead of thoroughly enjoying the present he was planning an impossible future by and bye the old lady beginning to fish persuaded to step out with him to the sea wall on the pretence of looking out for her uncle s boat in the when there he would have been stupid indeed if he had been unable to avail himself of the opening he told her � with much pathos poor lad � how he had missed her how dull his life became from the time she moved into the town when he could not so much as see her opening and spreading out the to dry in the sun or bringing water from the spring he told her how he had been tp find she was gone � gone without one kind word for him for him who she knew had loved her all his life he had cried all night it had cut him to the heart for he had been so mad so as to suppose she cared for him she said she did care for him � more than he knew � more perhaps than any one except her mother and the young ladies cried h no and would have passionately seized her hand but said stop hear me with more resolution than embarrassment and went on to tell him how her mind had expanded and altered since she went to england how she had adopted a purer faith and was determined never to marry any one but a was the wickedness of her quite appalled him for he was a simple son of the church though he had no great opinion of the priests after several exclamations and attempted he began to and reason with her but here he soon found himself for he was no match for her he had not studied the subject � she had and she not only was the best but had the best arguments on her side then he grew passionate and jealous and exclaimed � it s all that fellow in the white cotton stock with his shining rosy face i ll put a knife into him hush hush you would not do anything so shocking said ah owing to george the idea is too absurd except to laugh at oh very well madam laugh and welcome said boiling hot with rage laugh with him and at me � o � and clapping his hand to his forehead he was rushing away when she laid her gentle hand on his arm how will you mistake me so v said she sweetly i don t care a straw for george in the way you mean though he is a fellow servant there is only one difference between you and me and that is � one that i cannot overcome said he in the greatest trouble where s the good of my offering to become a for your sake only to ruin us both earth is earth but heaven is heaven and i can t give up that even for you no dear said she very i want for us both to be there and if you should ever come round to my way of thinking you will not find that your affection has been despised or lo i never shall i never can you are breaking my heart but i cannot tell you what is in it my love is poor in words no matter victor wants soldiers and i ll be one of them you ve made my life to me but it may be of some service to my country god in heaven bless you and bring you to a better mind he snatched a hasty kiss and flung away stop stop she cried earnestly but he was gone chapter ii by the i hen we are acting under the of conscience we are greatly in the conflict with natural feeling and the offer of s love at the price of his principles was acting like a young man there was indeed no reason why he should therefore go and but his family were already pinched to maintain themselves and the fewer mouths the better cheer his mother was dead his father took things coolly he himself was hasty and could not immediately settle down to what now seemed his dull daily round there was no one he should grieve much to leave but his sister and he was sure she would not let him if she knew of it beforehand so he resolved to take the fatal step first and write to her afterwards reaching home a little before he feigned fatigue and went early to bed but woke before dawn tied up a few things in a handkerchief and softly left the house he felt very guilty and even cowardly till he was a mile or two on his way but he then resolutely on resolved to forget embrace his new profession with and make proud of her soldier brother it was yet early morning and he was pursuing his course along the solitary road when he saw a man a little in advance of him sitting 