Innocent Her Fancy and His Fact

really feel it or understand it. It must be the rarest thing in all the world! This poor Sieur Amadis, asleep so

ult to get in his day, and are now, I suppose, quite out of date and almost unknown. I have read them all!-my head is a little library full of odd volumes! But there is one-a manuscript book-which I never tire of reading,-it is a sort of journal in

in-"men often say they can only love o

showed him what a stup

glad, Robin! For you will find it easy t

shed,

mean that-

woman who had plenty of admirers and did not care for him at all. All he writes proves that. He is always grieved to the heart about it. Still he loved her-and he seems glad to have loved her, though it was all no use. And he kept a little chronicle of his dreams and fancies-all that he felt and

ng again the hand he held-"I don't understan

laug

dictionary and grammar and some other French lesson-books besides-then I spelt all the words carefully and looked them all up in the dictionary, and learned the pronunciation from

at her, admiringly-"You're a clever little

ine indifference which is more provoking to an intelligent woman than downright contradict

the very eve of his marriage-day-" She paused abruptly, and looked for a moment at the worn and battered tomb of the old knight, green with moss and made picturesque by a trailing branch of wild roses that had thrown itself across

aid-"What wer

love was none of my seeking, I will give her her heart's desire, though mine own heart's desire shall never be accomplished,-I will make her my wife, and will be to her a true and loyal husband, so that she may receive from me all she craves of happiness and peace. For though I fain would die rather than wed, I know that life is not given to a man to live selfishly, nor is God satisfied to have it wasted by any one who hath sworn to be His knight and servant. Therefore even so let i

re-then she said-"That is th

y quiet for a

hing," he said at last-"but it's like some old sonnet or med

d her eyebrows

like

d impat

laugh. "Innocent dear, I wish you would see the world as it really is!-not through the old-style s

wered, quietly-"But love is t

d a moment,

ved in a sort of imaginary ecstasy-they exaggerated their emotions and lived at the top-height of their f

y very gently she with

his unknown lady. So much indeed do I love you that I couldn't write about it to save my life!-though I did write verses at Oxford once-very bad ones!" He laughed.

him curiously

t put me into the position of the Sieur Amadis, who

from the gras

just because you are sorry for me! That would be intolerable! I wouldn't have you for a wife at all

ut Briar Farm

there, Innocent!-be happy, and don't worry yourself! Keep to your old knight and your strange fancies about him-you may be right in your ideas of love,

, facing her in all the vigour and beauty of his young man

she said-"Quite a picture in your way!

ovement of

lenty to do. And after all, work's the finest thing

things of life. And yet she was resentful that he should be capable of considering anything in the world "finer" than love. Work? What work? Pruning trees

he orchard?

es

iled a

's ri

ld her for a moment in his arms,-to have kissed her lips, and whispered to her the pretty, caressing love-nonsense which to warm and tender hearts is the sweetest language in the world. And with all his restrained passion he was irritated with what, from a man's point of view, he considered fol

the world!-and when she DOES come to know it-ah,

ry Robin and help him to hold and keep Briar Farm as it had ever been kept and held since the days of the Sieur Amadis. Perhaps, had she never heard the story of her actual condition, as told her by Farmer Jocelyn on the previous night, she might have consented to what seemed so easy and pleasan

was a little piqued at this-and almost cross when he sent the same message at tea-time,-but she was proud in her way and would not go out to see if she could persuade him to leave his work for half-an-hour. The sun was slowly declining when she suddenly put down her sewing, struck by a thought wh

you as

s arms above hi

was!" he answ

in to tea!" This with

ad wanted tea," he repli

ed, with a little shrug of her shoul

had something to do

w-so she fancied-no doubt he had been thinking hard all the day while doing his work, and at last had come to the conclusion that it was wisest after all to let her go and cease to care for h

't you think-wouldn't

onderingly-she seemed

asked-"Anything y

ou see, Dad made up his mind this morning that we were to

aised himsel

don't settle it, you mean," he said-"an

lour flush

for the moment?" she suggested-"Just

d at her

ouldn't we d

ME all my life,-I suppose for MY g

it?

eless," she answere

and, taking hold of her slender wrists, tried to draw those hands down. He succe

ou like!" he said. "Tel

till she had contro

ght that we are engaged-it would make him happy-and perhaps in a

n sm

n wouldn't work! He wants the banns p

knitted pe

cannot bear to disappoint him! He's old-and he's so ill to

he sensation of even imagining I'm engaged to you is quite agreeable! For one ev

us that she smiled, though the tear

you thinking of

ou!" he said-"Don't you feel it would be right and proper? Even o

ing glance with q

she said-"You can, if y

don't

N

inking sun made mellow gold of all the air, and touched the girl's small figure with a delicate luminance-his heart be

taking a mean advantage of you. I only spoke in fun. There!-dry your pretty eye

ng breath of

ll tell yo

ered. "By-the-bye, oughtn't

siness," she said-"He won't be lo

es

ask him not to have the banns put up yet

y-"all I can to keep him quiet, and to m

on him with a gra

very good

lau

atch on your old stone knight who wrote such a lot about his 'ideal'-and yet went and married a country wench and had six children. Don't frown, dear! Not

ured ind

nothing about it," she said-"

gs I learned was the general uselessness and vanity of the fellows that called themselves 'literary.' They chiefly went in for disparaging and despising everyone who did not agree with them and think just as they did. Mulish prigs, most of them!" and Robin laughed his gay and

p you to understand N

e you almost despise Nature,-more's the pity! They are always studying THEMSELVES, and analysing THEMSELVES, a

egarded him with

have told you so often. But-I'm not sure that I sh

s the house. As she went, she suddenly

upid! Cu-

arm. She caught it to her bosom, kissing its soft head tenderly, and murmuring playful words to it. Robin watched her, as with this favourite bir

-Priscilla went to the door many times, looking up the tortuous by-road for the first glimpse of the expected returning vehicle-and Innocent stood in the garden near the porch, as watchful as a sen

last! Here

corner-then the whole dog-cart came into view wit

d no time to make any comment as old Hugo just then dr

nnocent then, going to meet him-"I

was kept longer than I expected-" Here he turned quickly t

andon?" as

I've left him

e could not define it, but it filled her mind with a curious and inexplicable uneasiness. Priscilla, who was setting the dishes on the table in the room where the cloth was laid for supper, had the same uncomfortable impression when she saw him enter. His face was unusual

him. "Well, well! you need not have given me a thought! I-I was all right-all ri

stared in front of him w

n alarm. There was a moment's tense stillness,

re saying somethi

s eyes and he looked at her w

ws he knew and decided to spend the evening with them-he asked

n Robin

er? Don't begin without me! I say, Un

rned upon

you all keep on asking me about Landon? He loves drink more than life,

for a moment out

mind," he said, at last-"We're pretty bus

scorn-"Briar Farm would have come to a pretty pass

another si

nocent's troubled face, and decided to reli

said, briskly-"and it's been waiting an hour at l

ked at her

" he querie

loudly to cover th

re I don't! For the beef and potatoes, I suppose, an' al

his eyes for a second and then opening them again-"And I'll tell you what, Priscilla!-th