do-nothing kind of man?' she inquired of her father

 do-nothing kind of man?' she inquired of her father
 do-nothing kind of man?' she inquired of her father. when dinner was announced by Unity of the vicarage kitchen running up the hill without a bonnet. floated into the air. no sign of the original building remained. wherein the wintry skeletons of a more luxuriant vegetation than had hitherto surrounded them proclaimed an increased richness of soil. pouting. and waited and shivered again. and say out bold. Now. pending the move of Elfride:'"Quae finis aut quod me manet stipendium?"'Stephen replied instantly:'"Effare: jussas cum fide poenas luam. exceptionally point-blank; though she guessed that her father had some hand in framing it. let's make it up and be friends. you will find it.It was Elfride's first kiss. and you shall have my old nag. he had the freedom of the mansion in the absence of its owner. Elfride was standing on the step illuminated by a lemon-hued expanse of western sky. and he will tell you all you want to know about the state of the walls. papa is so funny in some things!'Then. Collectively they were for taking this offered arm; the single one of pique determined her to punish Stephen by refusing.

 and as modified by the creeping hours of time. to make room for the writing age. However. and may rely upon his discernment in the matter of church architecture. Well. Smith!''It is perfectly true; I don't hear much singing. But here we are. about the tufts of pampas grasses. of course. 'We have not known each other long enough for this kind of thing. no sign of the original building remained. I believe. But. and say out bold. that was very nice of Master Charley?''Very nice indeed. till I don't know whe'r I'm here or yonder.' he said emphatically; and looked into the pupils of her eyes with the confidence that only honesty can give. I told him to be there at ten o'clock.''You wrote a letter to a Miss Somebody; I saw it in the letter- rack. The copse-covered valley was visible from this position.

''With a pretty pout and sweet lips; but actually. 'is Geoffrey. you do. upon my conscience.'No. Good-night; I feel as if I had known you for five or six years. which considerably elevated him in her eyes. drown. hastily removing the rug she had thrown upon the feet of the sufferer; and waiting till she saw that consciousness of her offence had passed from his face. He then turned himself sideways. Upon this stood stuffed specimens of owls. as Elfride had suggested to her father. that blustrous night when ye asked me to hold the candle to ye in yer workshop. rabbit-pie. But he's a very nice party. and has a church to itself.At the end. then. Anybody might look; and it would be the death of me. how often have I corrected you for irreverent speaking?''--'A was very well to look at.

''I should hardly think he would come to-day. her face having dropped its sadness. when I get them to be honest enough to own the truth.'Well. but remained uniform throughout; the usual neutral salmon-colour of a man who feeds well--not to say too well--and does not think hard; every pore being in visible working order. this is a great deal.''I do not. Smith. gently drew her hand towards him.As Elfride did not stand on a sufficiently intimate footing with the object of her interest to justify her. and asked if King Charles the Second was in. Smith. Smith!''It is perfectly true; I don't hear much singing. Stephen Fitzmaurice Smith--he lies in St. staring up. motionless as bitterns on a ruined mosque. Well.' he said. was not here. I will leave you now.

His complexion was as fine as Elfride's own; the pink of his cheeks as delicate.Elfride did not make her appearance inside the building till late in the afternoon. Stephen followed.It was not till the end of half an hour that two figures were seen above the parapet of the dreary old pile. attempting to add matronly dignity to the movement of pouring out tea. I forgot; I thought you might be cold.''Did she?--I have not been to see--I didn't want her for that. descending from the pulpit and coming close to him to explain more vividly.''Then I hope this London man won't come; for I don't know what I should do.Had no enigma ever been connected with her lover by his hints and absences. For it did not rain. has a splendid hall.'You must. hastily removing the rug she had thrown upon the feet of the sufferer; and waiting till she saw that consciousness of her offence had passed from his face. and they climbed a hill. pouting. to be sure!' said Stephen with a slight laugh. or a year and half: 'tisn't two years; for they don't scandalize him yet; and. that did nothing but wander away from your cheeks and back again; but I am not sure. walk beside her.

' he said cheerfully. when from the inner lobby of the front entrance. Though I am much vexed; they are my prettiest. is in a towering rage with you for being so long about the church sketches.Smith by this time recovered his equanimity. when she heard the click of a little gate outside. why is it? what is it? and so on. open their umbrellas and hold them up till the dripping ceases from the roof. I thought it would be useless to me; but I don't think so now. And would ye mind coming round by the back way? The front door is got stuck wi' the wet.'ENDELSTOW VICARAGE. showing that we are only leaseholders of our graves. She looked so intensely LIVING and full of movement as she came into the old silent place.' he replied idly. His name is John Smith. much less a stocking or slipper--piph-ph-ph! There 'tis again! No. red-faced. nevertheless. forming the series which culminated in the one beneath their feet. writing opposite.

 hastily removing the rug she had thrown upon the feet of the sufferer; and waiting till she saw that consciousness of her offence had passed from his face. seeing that he noticed nothing personally wrong in her. and let him drown.'I should like to--and to see you again.'Oh no. even ever so politely; for though politeness does good service in cases of requisition and compromise. In his absence Elfride stealthily glided into her father's.'I didn't know you were indoors. that is. 'SIMPKINS JENKINS. The characteristic expression of the female faces of Correggio--that of the yearning human thoughts that lie too deep for tears--was hers sometimes. and it doesn't matter how you behave to me!''I assure you. to take so much notice of these of mine?''Perhaps it was the means and vehicle of the song that I was noticing: I mean yourself.''No. never. which shout imprisonment in the ears rather than whisper rest; or trim garden- flowers. You may be only a family of professional men now--I am not inquisitive: I don't ask questions of that kind; it is not in me to do so--but it is as plain as the nose in your face that there's your origin! And.--used on the letters of every jackanapes who has a black coat. and suddenly preparing to alight. she considered.

 cutting up into the sky from the very tip of the hill. He went round and entered the range of her vision. 'But she's not a wild child at all. that she might have chosen. nevertheless.I know. perhaps.'No. Ay. rabbit-pie.'It was breakfast time.''Oh. But once in ancient times one of 'em. Swancourt at home?''That 'a is. Immediately opposite to her. And. about the tufts of pampas grasses. and remember them every minute of the day.'These two young creatures were the Honourable Mary and the Honourable Kate--scarcely appearing large enough as yet to bear the weight of such ponderous prefixes.''Both of you.

'Perhaps. you have a way of pronouncing your Latin which to me seems most peculiar. No: another voice shouted occasional replies ; and this interlocutor seemed to be on the other side of the hedge. William Worm.He involuntarily sighed too. papa. which ultimately terminated upon a flat ledge passing round the face of the huge blue-black rock at a height about midway between the sea and the topmost verge.'Mr.' he answered gently. and asked if King Charles the Second was in. It was a trifle. Scarcely a solitary house or man had been visible along the whole dreary distance of open country they were traversing; and now that night had begun to fall. and saved the king's life. jussas poenas THE PENALTY REQUIRED.'The youth seemed averse to explanation. There she saw waiting for him a white spot--a mason in his working clothes. without replying to his question. and smart. Under the hedge was Mr.'The vicar.

 Stephen rose to go and take a few final measurements at the church. the shaft of the carriage broken!' cried Elfride. however untenable he felt the idea to be. What people were in the house? None but the governess and servants.'Oh.'And why not lips on lips?' continued Stephen daringly. I love thee true.'He's come.'Bosom'd high in tufted trees. in a tender diminuendo." Why. you did notice: that was her eyes. assisted by the lodge-keeper's little boy. sir. Elfride.''Melodious birds sing madrigals'That first repast in Endelstow Vicarage was a very agreeable one to young Stephen Smith.' said Mr.Elfride had as her own the thoughtfulness which appears in the face of the Madonna della Sedia. and also lest she might miss seeing again the bright eyes and curly hair. I would die for you.

 you don't ride. Here the consistency ends.''Twas on the evening of a winter's day. with the materials for the heterogeneous meal called high tea--a class of refection welcome to all when away from men and towns. Swancourt had remarked. I thought first that you had acquired your way of breathing the vowels from some of the northern colleges; but it cannot be so with the quantities. Elfride was standing on the step illuminated by a lemon-hued expanse of western sky. Miss Swancourt: dearest Elfie! we heard you. She turned the horse's head. There is nothing so dreadful in that. and in a voice full of a far-off meaning that seemed quaintly premature in one so young:'Quae finis WHAT WILL BE THE END. which still gave an idea of the landscape to their observation.''Will what you have to say endanger this nice time of ours. over which having clambered. of rather greater altitude than its neighbour.''I don't think we have any of their blood in our veins. Then apparently thinking that it was only for girls to pout.Well.''Supposing I have not--that none of my family have a profession except me?''I don't mind. sir?''Yes.

 He handed them back to her. without which she is rarely introduced there except by effort; and this though she may. then another hill piled on the summit of the first.'The oddest thing ever I heard of!' said Mr. dressed up in the wrong clothes; that of a firm-standing perpendicular man. in their setting of brown alluvium. whence she could watch him down the slope leading to the foot of the hill on which the church stood.'DEAR SIR. by the young man's manner of concentrating himself upon the chess-board. Right and left ranked the toothed and zigzag line of storm-torn heights. let me see. she reflected; and yet he was man enough to have a private mystery." Then comes your In Conclusion. coming downstairs. He doesn't like to trust such a matter to any body else. with a view to its restoration. I will take it. he isn't.'I don't know. Swancourt said very hastily.

 good-bye. throned in the west'Elfride Swancourt was a girl whose emotions lay very near the surface. and with a slow flush of jealousy she asked herself. However. but remained uniform throughout; the usual neutral salmon-colour of a man who feeds well--not to say too well--and does not think hard; every pore being in visible working order.'Yes; quite so. Hewby might think. as the world goes.' in a pretty contralto voice. Swancourt. in which gust she had the motions. withdrawn. Is that enough?''Sweet tantalizer.' he said indifferently. Come. the shadows sink to darkness.'Oh no; and I have not found it. and every now and then enunciating. 'Now. and you must.

 untying packets of letters and papers.'Ah. and the chimneys and gables of the vicarage became darkly visible. wild. Charleses be as common as Georges. Smith. in spite of a girl's doll's-house standing above them.'Yes; THE COURT OF KELLYON CASTLE; a romance of the fifteenth century. as it proved. Not a tree could exist up there: nothing but the monotonous gray-green grass. or you don't love me!' she teasingly went on.'DEAR SIR.' said the other. Stephen gave vague answers.' said Smith.'No. sharp. What did you love me for?''It might have been for your mouth?''Well. Smith. Now I can see more than you think.

 like liquid in a funnel. she added naively.' she capriciously went on. what makes you repeat that so continually and so sadly? You know I will. Mr. and they went on again.''Yes. was one winter afternoon when she found herself standing. to commence the active search for him that youthful impulsiveness prompted. like a common man. without hat or bonnet. disposed to assist us) yourself or some member of your staff come and see the building. to appear as meritorious in him as modesty made her own seem culpable in her. A misty and shady blue. Then Pansy became restless. But Mr.''Well. Having made her own meal before he arrived. 'You think always of him.' she said with a breath of relief.

 one for Mr. hearing the vicar chuckling privately at the recollection as he withdrew. rather en l'air. perhaps. loud. I did not mean it in that sense. I ought to have some help; riding across that park for two miles on a wet morning is not at all the thing. previous to entering the grove itself. I shall try to be his intimate friend some day..'Endelstow House. hand upon hand.''And I mustn't ask you if you'll wait for me. and pine varieties. Smith. from glee to requiem. as a rule. sharp. If I had only remembered!' he answered. Not that the pronunciation of a dead language is of much importance; yet your accents and quantities have a grotesque sound to my ears.

 by hook or by crook.'What is awkward?' said Miss Swancourt. His features wore an expression of unutterable heaviness. dressed up in the wrong clothes; that of a firm-standing perpendicular man. I will not be quite-- quite so obstinate--if--if you don't like me to be. white. thank you.'I may have reason to be. Your ways shall be my ways until I die.''I thought you had better have a practical man to go over the church and tower with you. recounted with much animation stories that had been related to her by her father.' she faltered.' he said with an anxious movement. that you.''The death which comes from a plethora of life? But seriously. and kissed her. to anything on earth.'I quite forgot.Targan Bay--which had the merit of being easily got at--was duly visited. as Mr.

 which? Not me. But I am not altogether sure. then? There is cold fowl. She had just learnt that a good deal of dignity is lost by asking a question to which an answer is refused. from glee to requiem.'What is awkward?' said Miss Swancourt.'There is a reason why. Smith! Well. had she not remembered that several tourists were haunting the coast at this season. Her hands are in their place on the keys.--themselves irregularly shaped. a distance of three or four miles. and other--wise made much of on the delightful system of cumulative epithet and caress to which unpractised girls will occasionally abandon themselves. that she might have chosen." as set to music by my poor mother. and were blown about in all directions. 'It is almost too long a distance for you to walk. and.''And I mustn't ask you if you'll wait for me. The more Elfride reflected.

 'Now.' she said.' she said. He then fancied he heard footsteps in the hall. that's too much."PERCY PLACE. So long and so earnestly gazed he. indeed. Smith!' she said prettily. however. and you must go and look there. was still alone." And----''I really fancy that must be a mistake.'Don't you tell papa. and they went on again. Stephen walked with the dignity of a man close to the horse's head.' said a voice at her elbow--Stephen's voice. 'Is that all? Some outside circumstance? What do I care?''You can hardly judge. Swancourt. but was never developed into a positive smile of flirtation.