Year: 1878

| and her consent was negative she said
nothing-she would not take the respon-
sibility of encouraging him although she
could not see the matter in the ruinous
| light that the others did-but then she
was fond of Hebe. Beside this the tea
trick looked rational-a thing which, If
1t had come to Jock Is knowledge, she had
felt sure he would have thought betray-
ed q romantic Stiffness incompatible
with the the steady earning of q respec-
table livelihood.


And there is no doubt that this affair
of his smoothed her own way consider
ably; the opposing forces were all en-
gagged in doing battle with him; and
when Mr.. King, having used every
means to gain the sufIrages of her kin
dred and wipe out the past, revealed
himself and his proposals, the decision
upon them was left to Lizzie herself, and
she having already decided he had no
further trouble or anxiety.


Jock merely looked at his sister and
said


"The new hobby"


''See that you don t tire of the old one,
Jock" she said.


"Never, Lizzie" he said-"never.


''But, Jock, three, five, ten years after
this, how will you enjoy phonetic spell
ling and grammar not quite what it used
to was p''


"They'll be dear to me for her sake"
said Jock with strong feeling.


"Amenl" said Lizzie.


Jock did not think of lifting the lowly
flower out of its bed and sending it to
hot-house, where the growth of the
nearly-invisible shoots of learning might
be forced to q kind of maturity; he meant
that to be a gradual, natural process, ac-
complished by himself but if he had,
he would have found that Hebe had
mind of her own and had decided to full
fill her engagement with Mr.. Elliot;
which might indicate that she had
sound conscience or groveling tastes.


Jock did not like it, but his sister per-
suaded him not to interfere. Just let
Hebe and me jog on together for the
time: we have always been very good
friends, and Wen be better ones now,"
she said.


The other relatives hoped that his
submitting to this was sign that the
thing might possibly be broken off yet.
His uncle John was so moved by the
distress of the parents, and so sure that
his nephew was preparing misery for
himself by this mesalliance, that he
privately offered Hebe five hundred
pounds If she would refuse to marry
him and go to America, where brother,
her only near relative, was settled, and
had repeatedly asked her to come to
him."


Poor little Hebe was hard pushed !:
much practice it was pretty good at do
ing-and she said,


I'm not marrying him for money,
and I'll not refuse him for money !;
money is nothing to me, not if it were
five thousand pounds"


Could anything more be done? No
pecuniary lever could be brought to bear
on jock he was independent.


Lizzie's marriage day was fixed for
the 18th of December, but as Hebe could
neither stay at Stonylea when her time
of service was ended, nor be received at
his fathers house, Jock determined that
his marriage should take place on the
eleventh of November, the day that his
bride would leave her "place' with her
little wooden chest, and her half years
wages in her hand. 1t was to be mar
riage stripped of all externals, such as
trousseau, presents, wedding garments,
bridesmaid, wedding-guest speeches,
congratulations, old shoes, etc. Jock
laughed these things to scorn ; it was
the first time he had ever given his
friends moment of anxiety, and he
was sorry for it, but he could not help
it if they were unreasonable.


Hebe went about her duties as usual,
doing everything well and neglecting
nothing, but she did not sing as had
been her wont, and her face was not so
blithe as 1t was its nature to be.


Her master and mistress were no!
magnanimous towards her; if there
was blame in the matter, surely it be
longed to their own nephew, and not Ia
their servant-girl, but they made her feel
the weight of their displeasure not
John so much, who merely ignored hei
entirely, as Nelly, who snubbed her al