Year: 1874

thing amiss. Susan Clayton made an at
tempt to banter Jem, but was effectually 81
lenced by his stern manner, and warning
flash of his unusually mild blue eyes. Elsie
assumed lively dcmeanor during their home
ward walk, laughing and talking perseVerlng'
ly, while all the time weight lay at her heart.
She thought she had acted rightly, and had
Jem repeated his experiment it would proba'
bly have met with the same result as before
yet she wept when she sought her chamber
that night, and her sleep was haunted by rest
less and unhappy dreams.


With the morning light her sorrowtui feel
ings vanished, and the recollection OF Jems
disappointment gave place to the anticipa-
ton of the appointed meeting that afternoon.
Silly child q! she tried to still the beating OF
her heart as she looked forward to seeing the
handsome face and hearing the low winning
tones that had acquired so great fascination
for her. How prettily her name had sounded
from his lips! She had always thought it
ugly and commonplace, wishing that she had
been called Lizzie, or Bessie or any other d.
minutive, rather than that old-fashioned,
countrifed "Elsie;" even the long formal
Elizabeth was better. But as he uttered 1t,
it was musical and soft and he said it, too,
as if he liked it. How different he appeared,
from every one she had ever before seen!
The young squire at the Hall had often
spoken to her, in good-humored careless
wav, and once, on the occasion of birthday
festivity in the Hall grounds, to which all the
villagers had been bidden, she had even
danced with lord, thereby exciting the envy
of her companions especially when he paid
her the compliment of saying that she was
the prettest lass and the best dancer he had
met out of London. But these experiences
though causing her hutter of pleasure at
the time, had made no deep orlasting impress
sion upon her. Perhaps it was because Mr.
Sydney had come from such far away, for
eign land that he seemed so superior to the
others. If all Americans, she thought, were
like him, how much nicer they must be than
, Englishmen.


Five o'clock came, and she sat out on her
customary errand to dame Dixon's cottage,
thinking, it must be confessed, less of the OBJ
iect of her visit than of the interview in store
for her afterward. But alas for her expecta-
tions When she came in sight of the bridge,
on her way home, no waiting figure was to be
seen. 1t was no later than usual, so he could
not have already been there and gone away
again. Perhaps he would still come-but she
could not wait for him there. With swift
stems she turned back into the wood, and
fingered there awhile, then retraced her way
to the bri,lge-in vain! With sinking heart
she slowly wended her way home. The next
evening, and the next, it was the same thing;
then came Sunday, and she could have no
hope ofseeing him. Perpexed, doubling and
unhappy, she began to fear that he would
come no more.


On Sunday afternoon, while they were sing
ing the psalm in church, she chanced to look
across to the farthest aisle, and suddenly en-
countered steadfast gaze, from the very pair
of eyes that were at that moment haunting
her memory to the exclusion of devotional
thoughts. She could not repress little start
of joyful recognition aud'surrrise; burning
blush mantled her face, and the prayer-book
nearly slipped from her hand. She quickly
recollected herself, however, and the fear of
observation made her subdue, as far as posi-
BILE. all outward tokens of embarrassment.
Fortunately for her, her mother was singing
away with might and main, at the top of her
somewhat nasal voice, and had no notice to be-
stow upon her, but was gazing straight ahead
Elsie held up her book and looked at it, but
not one word did she see that was before her
eyes, Jem Sterling, sitting moody and soll-
tary on bench just inside the door, had seen
the start and blush, and with fierce jealousy
and distrust was striving in vain to trace its
cause. For poor Jem's devotion had not been
cooled by his lady-love's disdain; on the con-
trary, its ardor was undiminished, and be had
already condemned his own folly and faint
ness of heart in having so easily relnqulshed
his dearest hopes, when little perseverance
might yet gain his cause.


Elsie's thoughts were in such whirl that
she understood nothing Of the sermon; she
heard the cergyman's voice mixing drowslIy
and indistinctly with the buzzing of the in
sects and the chirping of the birds outside the
open windows but could not have repeated
the text to save her life. When the service
was concluded and the throng Of worshippers
dispersed, she ventured, as she followed her
mother OUT to glance shyly around at the va
rious groups scattered under the trees; but she
perceived, with mingled disappointment and
relief, that the figure she sought was not there
She would have been frightened to have him
speak to her and expose her to her mothers
questioning; yet she had fancied that he
might, perhaps, wait just for one parting
look.


On Monday afternoon he was waiting for
her on the bridge. If he had doubted the
sincerity of her liking for him, his doubts
would have been dispelled by the glow of de-
light that flashed over her face as she recog-
nized him; though she tried to hide it under
show of coyness and reserve.


He explained to her the cause of his ab-
sence on Friday and Saturday. His friend,
he said, gentleman with whom he had been
staying at the inn, had been summoned home
on account of illness in his family; he had
accompanied him part of the way, and only
got back on Sunday morning.


"And now. Elsie, am not going again, for