He uttered the last words inaudibly, and his left hand was suddenly clenched, as he turned and walked once up the room and down again.

Agatha knew not what to say. Only a great love conscious of the extent of its own sacrifice, would have had boldness to urge the like sacrifice upon him.

Miss Valery's voice broke the troubled pause:

"You cannot start yet, Nathanael; you would have to apply to the Government here. It would be impossible for you to leave under at least a fortnight."

"Ah!" he sighed, momentarily relieved, which was but natural "Yet, how wrong I am! for my poor uncle's sake I ought not to lose a day. Surely there would be some way of hastening the time, if inquiries were to be set on foot."

"I have made all that could be made; still, try yourself, though I fear it is useless. The suspense is bitter, but what is inevitable must be borne," said Anne, with the smile of one long used to the practice of that doctrine. "And in a fortnight--a fortnight is a long time, Miss Bowen?"

The smile, flitting to Agatha, took a cheerfulness which hitherto in the sad subject of her talk Miss Valery had not displayed. A certain benevolent meaning, which Agatha rather guessed at than discerned, was likewise visible there.

"Come," said she, "for this night we can do nothing; but having settled what we shall do, or rather what Mr. Harper will do, let us make ourselves at rest. Be content, my dear Nathanael. Heaven will take care of him for whom we fear."

Her voice trembled, Agatha fancied; and the young girl thought how full and generous was this kind woman's sympathy! likewise how good Nathanael must be to have awakened so deep a regard in such an one as Miss Anne Valery.

The clock struck ten. "We are early folk in Dorsetshire; but as my old servant Andrews has secured my lodgings close by (I am a very independent woman, you see, Miss Bowen), if you will allow me, I should like to sit another half-hour, and become a little better acquainted with you."

Agatha gave her a delighted welcome, and astonished the Ianson family by ordering all sorts of hospitalities. The three began to converse upon various matters, the only remarkable fact being that no one inquired for or alluded to a person, doubtless familiar to all--Frederick Harper. On Agatha's part this omission was involuntary; he had quietly slipped out of her thoughts hour by hour and day by day, as her interest in him became absorbed in others more akin to her true nature.

But though every one tried to maintain the conversation on indifferent topics, the feelings of at least two out of the three necessarily drew it back to one channel. There they sat, running over the slight nothings, probable and improbable, which in hard suspense people count up; though still the worst Nathanael seemed to fear was the temporary hardship to which his uncle would be exposed.

"And he is not so young as he used to be. How often have I urged him to be content with his poverty and come home. He _shall_ come home now. If once I get him out of these red fellows' hands, he shall turn his face from their wild settlements for ever. He can easily do it, even if I must stay in Canada."

The young man looked at his newly-betrothed wife, and looked away again.

It was more than he could bear.

"Agatha," said Miss Valery, after a pause, during which she had closely observed both the young people--"I may call you _Agatha_, for the sake of my friend here, may I not?"

"Yes," was the low answer.

"Well then, Agatha, shall you and I have a little talk? We need not mind that foolish boy; he was a boy, just so high, when I first knew him. Let him walk up and down the room a little, it will do him good."

She moved to the sofa, and took Agatha by her side.

"My dear"--(there was a rare sweetness in the way Miss Valery said the usually unsweet words _my dear_)--"I need not say, what, of course, we two both think, that she will be a happy woman who marries Nathanael Harper."

Agatha, with her eyes cast down, looked everything a young girl could be expected to look under the circ.u.mstances.

"Your happiness, as well as your history, is to me not like that of an entire stranger. I once knew your father."

"Ah, that accounts for all!" cried Agatha, delighted to gain this confirmation of her strange impression in favour of Miss Valery. "When was this, and where was I?"

"Neither born nor thought of."

Agatha's countenance fell. "Then of course it was impossible--yet I felt certain--I could even believe so now--that I have seen you before."

While the girl looked, a quick shadow pa.s.sed over Anne Valery's still features, for the moment entirely changing their expression. But soon returned their ordinary settled calm.

"We often fancy that strangers' faces are familiar. It is usually held to be an omen of future affection. Let me hope that it will prove so now. I have long wished, and am truly glad, heart-glad to see you, my dear child."

She bent Agatha's forehead towards her, and kissed it. Gradually her lips recovered their colour, and she began to talk again, showing herself surprisingly familiar with the monotonous past life of the young girl, and likewise with her present circ.u.mstances.

"How kind of you to take such an interest in me!" cried Agatha, her wonder absorbed in pleasure.

"It was natural," Anne said, rather hastily. "A woman left orphan from the cradle as I was, can feel for another orphan. And though my acquaintance with your father was too slender to warrant my intruding upon you--still I never lost sight of you. Poor child, yours has been a desolate position for so young a girl."

"Ay, very desolate," said Agatha; and suddenly the recollection crossed her mind of how doubly she should feel that desolation when her betrothed husband was gone, for how long, no one could tell! A regret arose, half tenderness, half selfishness; but she deemed it wholly the latter, and so crushed it down.

"How long have you been engaged to Nathanael?" asked Miss Valery, in a manner so sweet as entirely to soften the abruptness of the question, and win the unhesitating answer.

"A very short time--only a few days. Yet I seem to have known him for years. Oh, how good he is! how it grieves me to see him so unhappy!"

whispered Agatha, watching his restless movements up and down.

"It will be a hard trial for him, this parting with you. Men like Nathanael never love lightly; even sudden pa.s.sions--and his must have been rather sudden--in them take root as with the strength of years. I am very sorry for the boy."

And Miss Valery's eyes glistened as they rested on him whom probably from old habit she thus called.

"Well, have you done your little mysteries?" said he, coming up to the sofa, with an effort to be gay. "Have you taken my character to pieces, Anne Valery? Remember, if so, I have little enough time to recover it. A fortnight will be gone directly."

No one answered.

"Come, make room; I _will_ have my place. I _will_ sit beside you, Agatha."

There was a sort of desperation in his "I will" that indicated a great change in the reserved, timid youth. Agatha yielded as to an irresistible influence, and he placed himself by her side, putting his arm firmly round her waist, quite regardless of the presence of a third person--though about Anne there was an abiding spirit of love which seemed to take under its shadow all lovers, ay, even though she herself were an old maid. But perhaps that was the very reason.

"I was doing you no harm, Nathanael," said she, smiling. "And I was thinking, like you, how soon a fortnight will be gone, and how hard it is for you to part from this little girl that loves you."

The inference, so natural, so holy, which Miss Valery had unconsciously drawn, Agatha had not the heart to deny. She knew it was but right that she should love, and be supposed to love, her betrothed husband. And looking at him, his suffering, his strong self-denial, she almost felt that she did really love him, as a wife ought.

"If," said the soft voice of the good angel--"if you had not known each other so short a time, and been so newly betrothed, I should have said--judging such things by what they were when I was young,"--here she momentarily paused--"I should have said, Nathanael, that there was only one course which, as regarded both her and yourself, was wisest, kindest, best."

"What is that?" cried he, eagerly.

"To do a little sooner what must necessarily have been done soon--to take one another's hands--thus."

Agatha felt strong, wild fingers grasping her own; a dizziness came over her--she shrank back, crying, "No, no!" and hid her face on Miss Valery's shoulder. Nathanael rose up and walked away.

When he returned, it was with his "good" aspect, tender and calm.

"No, Anne, I was wrong even to think of such a thing. a.s.sure her I will never urge it. She is quite right in saying 'No'--What man could expect such a sacrifice?"

"And what woman would deem it such?" whispered Miss Valery. "But I know I am a very foolish, romantic old maid, and view these things in a different light to most people. So, my dear, be quite at rest," she continued, soothing the young creature, who still clung to her. "No one will urge you in any way; _he_ will not, he is too generous; and I had no right even to say what I did, except from my affection for him."

She looked fondly at the young man, as if he had been still a little child, and she saw him in the light of ancient days. These impelled her to speak on earnestly.

"Another reason I had; because I am old, and you two are young. Often, it seems as if the whole world--fate, trial, circ.u.mstance--were set against all lovers to make them part. It is a bitter thing when they part of their own free will. Accidents of all kinds--change, sorrow, even death--may come between, and they may never meet again. Agatha, Nathanael--believe one who has seen more of life than you--rarely do those that truly love ever attain the happiness of marrying one another.

One half the world--the best and n.o.blest half--thirst all their lives for that bliss which you throw away. What, Agatha, crying?"