The Hoyden

almost commanded him to marry Miss Bolton. She had been very bitter in her anger, and had said strange things of Marian. Sir Maurice had come of

, an old baron in the neighbourhood, with some money and a damaged reputation? That could not be true-he would not believe i

f face to face with Marian. Something in his face warns her. She would have gone by him wit

," says she sympathetically, ignoring the ange

About

short-almo

out

anges

s you of encouraging

you hear? Spea

r hands. "How could you believe such folly? Tha

it, then," sa

n I put an

arryi

her, almost compelli

e gives it

is so irritating. I know her. Marriage, as we now sta

sionately. "Does love reason? No!

asks she, smiling delicately, and laying

kes he

you marry me, o

oo sudden,

n her own eyes; she had obj

!" He pauses. "Is it to be Dunk

Dunkerton into this disc

tainly

ean th

hear, at all events, and-th

have watched you all day making steady court to that wretched little plebeian, playing tennis with her all the day long, and far into the evening! No! I may h

love me, and I put it at marriage. Will you link your fate with mine, low down though it is at present? If you will, Marian"-he comes closer to her and lay

her-he waits. But no

he softly-very softly. "My

ack from him, and lo

again go through what I suffered before. Wai

" says he, in a

eak like that. Don'

. If money is so much to you-if money counts so far beyond al

too? This girl, this little fool; your mother h

says he coldly, "i

is impossible"-she draws

me, then, to make

and drawing nearer to him, and suddenly flinging he

sirable! "Marian," says he hoarsely, "think! It is indeed my last word. Will you trust yourself t

perhaps, but no words come to her; no words to soften her grim

tifled oath, pus

the end,"

s to t

" says sh

tur

rry me to-morrow?"

. B

time for 'but

and closes it sh

ack into a chair, and presses

her eyebrows into shape. "He gets impatient, that is all. He will never be able to live without me. As for that absurd ch