\"Yoursevertruly。\"
IquotethepassagesinPhilip’sletterwhichmostdeeplyinterestedme——Iamhisdearmiss；andheismineevertruly。TheotherpartofthelettertoldmethathehadbeendetainedinLondon，andhelamentedit。Attheendwasadelightfulannouncementthathewascomingtomebytheafternoontrain。I
ranupstairstoseehowIlookedintheglass。
Myfirstfeelingwasregret。Forthethousandthtime，IwasobligedtoacknowledgethatIwasnotasprettyasHelena。Butthispassedoff。Acheeringreflectionoccurredtome。Philipwouldnothavefound，inmysister’sface，whatseemstohaveinterestedhiminmyface。Besides，thereismyfigure。
ThepityofitisthatIamsoignorantaboutsomethings。IfI
hadbeenallowedtoreadnovels，Imight（judgingbywhatpapasaidagainsttheminoneofhissermons）havefeltsureofmyownattractions；ImightevenhaveunderstoodwhatPhilipreallythoughtofme。However，mymindwasquiteunexpectedlysetateaseonthesubjectofmyfigure。Themannerinwhichithappenedwassoamusing——atleast，soamusingtome——thatIcannotresistmentioningit。
MysisterandIareforbiddentoreadnewspapers，aswellasnovels。ButtheteachersattheGirls’ScriptureClassaretoooldtobetreatedinthisway。Whenthemorninglessonswereover，oneofthemwasreadingthenewspapertotheother，intheemptyschoolroom；Ibeinginthepassageoutside，puttingonmycloak。
Itwasareportof\"anapplicationmadetothemagistratesbytheladyofhisworshiptheMayor。\"Hearingthis，Istoppedtolisten。Theladyofhisworship（whatafunnywayofdescribingaman’swife！）isreportedtobealittletoofondofnotoriety，andtolikehearingthesoundofherownvoiceonpublicoccasions。Butthisisonlymywriting；Ihadbettergetbacktothereport。\"Inheraddresstothemagistrates，theMayoressstatedthatshehadseenadisgustingphotographintheshopwindowofastationer，latelyestablishedinthetown。Shedesiredtobringthispersonwithinreachofthelaw，andtohaveallhiscopiesoftheshamelessphotographdestroyed。Theusherofthecourtwasthereuponsenttopurchasethephotograph。\"——Onsecondthoughts，Iprefergoingbacktomyownwritingagain；itissouninterestingtocopyotherpeople’swriting。Twoofthemagistratesweredoingjustice。Theylookedatthephotograph——andwhatdiditrepresent？ThefamousstatuecalledtheVenusde’Medici！Oneofthemagistratestookthisdiscoveryindignantly。Hewasshockedatthegrossignorancewhichcouldcalltheclassicidealofbeautyandgraceadisgustingwork。Theotheronemadepoliteallowances。Hethoughttheladywasmuchtobepitied；shewasevidentlytheinnocentvictimofaneglectededucation。Mrs。Mayorleftthecourtinarage，tellingthejusticessheknewwheretogetlaw。\"IshallexposeVenus，\"shesaid，\"totheLordChancellor。\"
WhentheScriptureClasshadbrokenupfortheday，dutyoughttohavetakenmehome。Curiosityledmeastray——Imean，ledmetothestationer’swindow。
ThereIfoundourtwoteachers，absorbedinthephotograph；
havinggottotheshopfirstbyashortcut。TheyseemedtothinkIhadtakenalibertywhomIjoinedthem。\"Wearehere，\"theywerecarefultoexplain，\"togetalessonintheidealofbeautyandgrace。\"Therewasquitealittlecrowdoftownsfolkcollectedbeforethewindow。Someofthemgiggled；andsomeofthemwonderedwhetheritwastakenfromthelife。Formyownpart，gratitudetoVenusobligesmetoownthatsheeffectedagreatimprovementinthestateofmymind。Sheencouragedme。Ifthatstumpylittlecreature——withnowaist，andoh，suchuncertainlegs！——representedtheidealofbeautyandgrace，Ihadreasonindeedtobesatisfiedwithmyownfigure，andtothinkitquitepossiblethatmysweetheart’sfavorableopinionofmewasnotill—bestowed。
IwasatthebedroomwindowwhenthetimeapproachedforPhilip’sarrival。
Quiteatthefarendoftheroad，Idiscoveredhim。Hewasonfoot；hewalkedlikeaking。NotthatIeversawaking，butI
havemyideal。Ah，whatasmilehegaveme，whenImadehimlookupbywavingmyhandkerchiefoutofthewindow！\"Askforpapa，\"I
whisperedasheascendedthehouse—steps。
Thenextthingtodowastowait，aspatientlyasIcould，tobesentfordownstairs。Mariacametomeinastateofexcitement。
\"Oh，miss，whatahandsomeyounggentleman，andhowbeautifullydressed！Ishe——？\"Insteadoffinishingwhatshehadtosay，shelookedatmewithaslysmile。Ilookedatherwithaslysmile。
Wewerecertainlyacoupleoffools。But，dearme，howhappysometimesafoolcanbe！
MyenjoymentofthatdelightfultimewascheckedwhenIwentintothedrawing—room。
Ihadexpectedtoseepapa’sfacemadebeautifulbyhiswinningsmile。Hewasnotonlyserious；heactuallyseemedtobeillateasewhenhelookedatme。Atthesametime，IsawnothingtomakemeconcludethatPhiliphadproducedanunfavorableimpression。Thetruthis，wewereallthreeonourbestbehavior，andweshowedit。PhiliphadbroughtwithhimaletterfromMrs。
Staveley，introducinghimtopapa。WespokeoftheStaveleys，oftheweather，oftheCathedral——andthenthereseemedtobenothingmorelefttotalkabout。
Inthesilencethatfollowed——whatadreadfulthingsilenceis！——papawassentfortoseesomebodywhohadcalledonbusiness。Hemadehisexcusesinthesweetestmanner，butstillseriously。WhenheandPhiliphadshakenhands，wouldheleaveustogether？No；hewaited。PoorPhiliphadnochoicebuttotakeleaveofme。Papathenwentoutbythedoorthatledintohisstudy，andIwasleftalone。
CananywordssayhowwretchedIfelt？
Ihadhopedsomuchfromthatfirstmeeting——andwhereweremyhopesnow？AprofanewishthatIhadneverbeenbornwasfindingitswayintomymind，whenthedooroftheroomwasopenedsoftly，fromthesideofthepassage。Maria，dearMaria，thebestfriendIhave，peepedin。Shewhispered：\"Gointothegarden，miss，andyouwillfindsomebodytherewhoisdyingtoseeyou。
Mindyoulethimoutbytheshrubberygate。\"Isqueezedherhand；
Iaskedifshehadtriedtheshrubberygatewithasweetheartofherown。\"Hundredsoftimes，miss。\"
WasitwrongformetogotoPhilip，inthegarden？Oh，thereisnoendtoobjections！PerhapsIdidit_because_itwaswrong。
PerhapsIhadbeenkeptonmybestbehaviortoolongforhumanendurance。
Howsadlydisappointedhelooked！Andhowrashlyhehadplacedhimselfjustwherehecouldbeseenfromthebackwindows！Itookhisarmandledhimtotheendofthegarden。Therewewereoutofthereachofinquisitiveeyes；andtherewesatdowntogether，underthebigmulberrytree。
\"Oh，Eunice，yourfatherdoesn’tlikeme！\"
Thosewerehisfirstwords。Injusticetopapa（andalittleformyownsaketoo）Itoldhimhewasquitewrong。Isaid：\"Trustmyfather’sgoodness，trusthiskindness，asIdo。\"
Hemadenoreply。Hissilencewassufficientlyexpressive；helookedatmefondly。
Imaybewrong，butfondlookssurelyrequireanacknowledgmentofsomekind？Isayoungwomanguiltyofboldnesswhoonlyfollowsherimpulses？Islippedmyhandintohishand。Philipseemedtolikeit。Wereturnedtoourconversation。
Hebegan：\"Tellme，dear，isMr。Gracedieualwaysasseriousasheisto—day？\"
\"Ohno！\"
\"Whenhetakesexercise，doesheride？ordoeshewalk？\"
\"Papaalwayswalks。\"
\"Byhimself？\"
\"Sometimesbyhimself。Sometimeswithme。Doyouwanttomeethimwhenhegoesout？\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Whenheisoutwithme？\"
\"No。Whenheisoutbyhimself。\"
WasitpossibletotellmemoreplainlythatIwasnotwanted？I
didmybesttoexpressindignationbysnatchingmyhandawayfromhim。Hewascompletelytakenbysurprise。
\"Eunice！don’tyouunderstandme？\"
IwasasstupidandasdisagreeableasIcouldpossiblybe：\"No；
Idon’t！\"
\"Thenletmehelpyou，\"hesaid，withapatiencewhichIhadnotdeserved。
UptothatmomentIhadbeenleaningagainstthebackofagardenchair。Somethingelsenowgotbetweenmeandmychair。Itstoleroundmywaist——itheldmegently——itstrengtheneditshold——itimprovedmytemper——itmademefittounderstandhim。Alldonebywhat？Onlyanarm！
Philipwenton：
\"Iwanttoaskyourfathertodomethegreatestofallfavors——andthereisnotimetolose。Everyday，IexpecttogetaletterwhichmayrecallmetoIreland。\"
Myheartsankatthishorridprospect；andinsomemysteriouswaymyheadmusthavefeltittoo。ImeanthatIfoundmyheadrestingonhisshoulder。Hewenton：
\"HowamItogetmyopportunityofspeakingtoMr。Gracedieu？I
mustn’tcallonhimagainassoonasto—morrowornextday。ButI
mightmeethim，outwalkingalone，ifyouwilltellmehowtodoit。AnotetomyhotelisallIwant。Don’ttremble，mysweet。Ifyouarenotpresentatthetime，doyouseeanyobjectiontomyowningtoyourfatherthatIloveyou？\"
Ifelthisdelicateconsiderationforme——Ididindeedfeelitgratefully。Ifheonlyspokefirst，howwellIshouldgetonwithpapaafterward！Theprospectbeforemewasexquisitelyencouraging。IagreedwithPhilipineverything；andIwaited（howeagerlywasonlyknowntomyself）tohearwhathewouldsaytomenext。Heprophesiednext：
\"WhenIhavetoldyourfatherthatIloveyou，hewillexpectmetotellhimsomethingelse。Canyouguesswhatitis？\"
IfIhadnotbeenconfused，perhapsImighthavefoundtheanswertothis。Asitwas，Ilefthimtoreplytohimself。Hedidit，inwordswhichIshallrememberaslongasIlive。
\"DearestEunice，whenyourfatherhasheardmyconfession，hewillsuspectthatthereisanotherconfessiontofollowit——hewillwanttoknowifyouloveme。Myangel，willmyhopesbeyourhopestoo，whenIanswerhim？\"
WhattherewasinthistomakemyheartbeatsoviolentlythatI
feltasifIwasbeingstifled，ismorethanIcantell。Heleanedsoclosetome，sotenderly，sodelightfullyclose，thatourfacesnearlytouched。Hewhispered：\"Sayyouloveme，inakiss！\"
Hislipstouchedmylips，pressedthem，dweltonthem——oh，howcanItellofit！Somenewenchantmentoffeelingrandeliciouslythroughandthroughme。Iforgotmyownself；Ionlyknewofonepersonintheworld。Hewasmasterofmylips；hewasmasterofmyheart。Whenhewhispered，\"kissme，\"Ikissed。Whatamomentitwas！Afaintnessstoleoverme；IfeltasifIwasgoingtodiesomeexquisitedeath；Ilaidmyselfbackawayfromhim——Iwasnotabletospeak。Therewasnoneedforit；mythoughtsandhisthoughtswereone——heknewthatIwasquiteovercome；hesawthathemustleavemetorecovermyselfalone。Ipointedtotheshrubberygate。Wetookonelonglastlookateachotherforthatday；thetreeshidhim；Iwasleftbymyself。
CHAPTERXX。
EUNICE’SDIARY。
Howlongatimepassedbeforemycomposurecamebacktome，I
cannotremembernow。ItseemedasifIwaswaitingthroughsomeintervalofmylifethatwasamysterytomyself。Iwascontenttowait，andfeelthelighteveningairinthegardenwaftinghappinessoverme。Andallthishadcomefromakiss！IcancallthetimetomindwhenIusedtowonderwhypeoplemadesuchafussaboutkissing。
IhadbeenindebtedtoMariaformyfirsttasteofParadise。I
wasrecalledbyMariatotheworldthatIhadbeenaccustomedtolivein；theworldthatwasbeginningtofadeawayinmymemoryalready。Shehadbeensenttothegardeninsearchofme；andshehadawordofadvicetooffer，afternoticingmyfacewhenI
steppedoutoftheshadowofthetree：\"Trytolookmorelikeyourself，miss，beforeyouletthemseeyouatthetea—table。\"
PapaandMissJillgallweresittingtogethertalking，whenI
openedthedoor。Theyleftoffwhentheysawme；andIsupposed，quitecorrectlyasitturnedout，thatIhadbeenoneofthesubjectsintheircourseofconversation。Mypoorfatherseemedtobesadlyanxiousandoutofsorts。MissJillgall，ifIhadbeeninthehumortoenjoyit，wouldhavebeenmoreamusingthanever。Oneofherfunnylittleeyespersistedinwinkingatme；
andherheavyfoothadsomethingtosaytomyfoot，underthetable，whichmeantagreatdealperhaps，butwhichonlysucceededinhurtingme。
Myfatherleftus；andMissJillgallexplainedherself。
\"Iknow，dearestEuneece，thatwehaveonlybeenacquaintedforadayortwoandthatIoughtnotperhapstohaveexpectedyoutoconfideinmesosoon。CanItrustyounottobetraymeifIsetanexampleofconfidence？Ah，IseeIcantrustyou！And，mydear，Idosoenjoytellingsecretstoafriend。Hush！Yourfather，yourexcellentfather，hasbeentalkingtomeaboutyoungMr。Dunboyne。\"
Sheprovokinglystoppedthere。Ientreatedhertogoon。Sheinvitedmetositonherknee。\"Iwanttowhisper，\"shesaid。Itwastooridiculous——butIdidit。MissJillgall’swhispertoldmeseriousnews。
\"Theministerhassomereason，Euneece，fordisapprovingofMr。
Dunboyne；but，mindthis，Idon’tthinkhehasabadopinionoftheyoungmanhimself。HeisgoingtoreturnMr。Dunboyne’scall。
Oh，Idosohateformality；Ireallycan’tgoontalkingof_Mr。_
Dunboyne。TellmehisChristianname。Ah，whatanoblename！HowIlongtobeusefultohim！Tomorrow，mydear，aftertheoneo’clockdinner，yourpapawillcallonPhilip，athishotel。I
hopehewon’tbeout，justatthewrongtime。\"
IresolvedtopreventthatunluckyaccidentbywritingtoPhilip。
IfMissJillgallwouldhaveallowedit，Ishouldhavebegunmyletteratonce。Butshehadmoretosay；andshewasstrongerthanIwas，andstillkeptmeonherknee。
\"Italllooksbrightenoughsofar，doesn’tit，dearsister？Willyouletmebeyoursecondsister？Idosoloveyou，Euneece。
Thankyou！thankyou！Butthegloomysideofthepictureistocomenext！Theminister——no！nowIamyoursisterImustcallhimpapa；itmakesmefeelsoyoungagain！Well，then，papahasaskedmetobeyourcompanionwheneveryougoout。’Euneeceistooyoungandtooattractivetobewalkingaboutthisgreattown（inHelena’sabsence）byherself。’Thatwashowheputit。Slylyenough，ifonemaysaysoofsogoodaman。Andheusedyoursister（didn’the？）asakindofexcuse。Iwishyoursisterwasasniceasyouare。However，thepointis，whyamItobeyourcompanion？Because，dearchild，youandyouryounggentlemanarenottomakeappointmentsandtomeeteachotheralone。Oh，yes——that’sit！YourfatherisquitewillingtoreturnPhilip’scall；heproposes（asamatterofcivilitytoMrs。Staveley）toaskPhiliptodinner；but，markmywords，hedoesn’tmeantoletPhiliphaveyouforhiswife。\"
Ijumpedoffherlap；itwashorribletohearher。\"Oh，\"Isaid，\"_can_youberightaboutit？\"MissJillgalljumpeduptoo。Shehasforeignwaysofshrugginghershouldersandmakingsignswithherhands。Onthisoccasionshelaidbothhandsontheupperpartofherdress，justbelowherthroat，andmysteriouslyshookherhead。
\"Whenmyviewsaredirectedbymyaffections，\"sheassuredme，\"I
neverseewrong。Mybosomismystrongpoint。\"
Shehasnobosom，poorsoul——butIunderstoodwhatshemeant。Itfailedtohaveanysoothingeffectonmyfeelings。Ifeltgrievedandangryandpuzzled，allinone。MissJillgallstoodlookingatme，withherhandsstillontheplacewhereherbosomwassupposedtobe。Shemademytemperhotterthanever。
\"ImeantomarryPhilip，\"Isaid。
\"Certainly，mydearEuneece。Butpleasedon’tbesofierceaboutit。\"
\"Ifmyfatherdoesreallyobjecttomymarriage，\"Iwenton，\"itmustbebecausehedislikesPhilip。Therecanbenootherreason。\"
\"Oh，yes，dear——therecan。\"
\"Whatisthereason，then？\"
\"That，mysweetgirl，isoneofthethingsthatwehavegottofindout。\"
Thepostofthismorningbroughtaletterfrommysister。Weweretoexpectherreturnbythenextday’strain。Thiswasgoodnews。
PhilipandImightstandinneedofcleverHelena’shelp，andwemightbesureofgettingitnow。
InwritingtoPhilip，Ihadaskedhimtoletmehearhowpapaandhehadgotonatthehotel。
Iwon’tsayhowoftenIconsultedmywatch，orhowoftenIlookedoutofthewindowforamanwithaletterinhishand。Itwillbebettertogetonatoncetothediscouragingendofit，whenthereportoftheinterviewreachedmeatlast。TwicePhiliphadattemptedtoaskformyhandinmarriage——andtwicemyfatherhad\"deliberately，obstinately\"（Philip’sownwords）changedthesubject。Eventhiswasnotall。AsifhewasdeterminedtoshowthatMissJillgallwasperfectlyright，andIperfectlywrong，papa（civiltoPhilipaslongashedidnottalkofMe）hadaskedhimtodinewithus，andPhiliphadacceptedtheinvitation！
Whatwerewetothinkofit？Whatwerewetodo？
Iwrotebacktomydearlove（socruellyused）totellhimthatHelenawasexpectedtoreturnonthenextday，andthatheropinionwouldbeofthegreatestvaluetobothofus。InapostscriptImentionedthehouratwhichweweregoingtothestationtomeetmysister。WhenIsay\"we，\"ImeanMissJillgallaswellasmyself。
Wefoundhimwaitingforusattherailway。Iamafraidheresentedpapa’sincomprehensibleresolutionnottogivehimahearing。Hewassilentandsullen。Icouldnotconcealthattoseethisstateoffeelingdistressedme。Heshowedhowtrulyhedeservedtobeloved——hebeggedmypardon，andhebecamehisownsweetselfagaindirectly。Iammoredeterminedtomarryhimthanever。
Whenthetrainenteredthestation，allthecarriageswerefull。
Iwentoneway，thinkingIhadseenHelena。MissJillgallwenttheotherway，underthesameimpression。Philipwasalittlewaybehindme。
Notseeingmysister，Ihadjustturnedback，whenayoungmanjumpedoutofacarriage，oppositePhilip，andrecognizedandshookhandswithhim。Iwasjustnearenoughtohearthestrangersay，\"Lookatthegirlinourcarriage。\"Philiplooked。\"Whatacharmingcreature！\"hesaid，andthencheckedhimselfforfeartheyoungladyshouldhearhim。Shehadjusthandedhertravelingbagandwrapstoaporter，andwasgettingout。Philippolitelyofferedhishandtohelpher。Shelookedmyway。Thecharmingcreatureofmysweetheart’sadmirationwas，tomyinfiniteamusement，Helenaherself。
CHAPTERXXI。
HELENA’SDIARY。
THEdayofmyreturnmarksanoccasionwhichIamnotlikelytoforget。HourshavepassedsinceIcamehome——andmyagitationstillforbidsthethoughtofrepose。
AsIsitatmydeskIseeEuniceinbed，sleepingpeacefully，exceptwhensheismurmuringenjoymentinsomehappydream。Towhatendhasmysisterbeenadvancingblindfold，and（whoknows？）
draggingmewithher，sincethatdisastrousvisittoourfriendsinLondon？Strangethatthereshouldbealeavenofsuperstitionin_my_nature！StrangethatIshouldfeelfearofsomething——I
hardlyknowwhat！
Ihavemetsomewhere（perhapsinmyhistoricalreading）withtheexpression：\"Achainofevents。\"WasIatthebeginningofthatchain，whenIenteredtherailwaycarriageonmyjourneyhome？
Amongtheotherpassengerstherewasayounggentleman，accompaniedbyaladywhoprovedtobehissister。Theywerebothwell—bredpeople。Thebrotherevidentlyadmiredme，anddidhisbesttomakehimselfagreeable。Timepassedquicklyinpleasanttalk，andmyvanitywasflattered——andthatwasall。
Myfellow—travelersweregoingontoLondon。Whenthetrainreachedourstationtheyoungladysentherbrothertobuysomefruit，whichshesawinthewindowoftherefreshment—room。Thefirstmanwhomheencounteredontheplatformwasoneofhisfriends；towhomhesaidsomethingwhichIfailedtohear。WhenI
handedmytravelingbagandmywrapstotheporter，andshowedmyselfatthecarriagedoor，Iheardthefriendsay：\"Whatacharmingcreature！\"HavingnothingtoconcealinajournalwhichIprotectbyalock，Imayownthatthestranger’spersonalappearancestruckme，andthatwhatIfeltthistimewasnotflatteredvanity，butgratifiedpride。Hewasyoung，hewasremarkablyhandsome，hewasadistinguished—lookingman。
Allthishappenedinonemoment。Inthemomentthatfollowed，I
foundmyselfinEunice’sarms。Thatodiousperson，MissJillgall，insistedonembracingmenext。AndthenIwasconsciousofanindescribablefeelingofsurprise。Eunicepresentedthedistinguished—lookinggentlemantomeasafriendofhers——Mr。
PhilipDunboyne。
\"Ihadthehonorofmeetingyoursister，\"hesaid，\"inLondon，atMr。Staveley’shouse。\"HewentontospeakeasilyandgracefullyofthejourneyIhadtaken，andofhisfriendwhohadbeenmyfellow—traveler；andheattendedustotherailwayomnibusbeforehetookhisleave。IobservedthatEunicehadsomethingtosaytohimconfidentially，beforetheyparted。Thiswasanotherexampleofmysister’schildishcharacter；sheisinstantlyfamiliarwithnewacquaintances，ifshehappenstolikethem。Ianticipatedsomeamusementfromhearinghowshehadcontrivedtoestablishconfidentialrelationswithahighly—cultivatedmanlikeMr。
Dunboyne。But，whileMissJillgallwaswithus，itwasjustaswelltokeepwithinthelimitsofcommonplaceconversation。
BeforewegotoutoftheomnibusIhad，however，observedoneundesirableresultofmyabsencefromhome。EuniceandMissJillgall——thelatterhaving，nodoubt，finelyflatteredtheformer——appearedtohavetakenastronglikingtoeachother。
Twocuriouscircumstancesalsocaughtmyattention。Isawachangeto，whatIcallself—assertion，inmysister’smanner；
somethingseemedtohaveraisedherinherownestimation。Then，again，MissJillgallwasnotlikehercustomaryself。Shehaddelightfulmomentsofsilence；andwhenEuniceaskedhowIlikedMr。Dunboyne，shelistenedtomyreplywithanappearanceofinterestinheruglyfacewhichwasquiteanewrevelationinmyexperienceofmyfather’scousin。
Theselittlediscoveries（afterwhatIhadalreadyobservedattherailway—station）oughtperhapstohavepreparedmeforwhatwastocome，whenmysisterandIwerealoneinourroom。ButEunice，whethershemeanttodoitornot，baffledmycustomarypenetration。Shelookedasifshehadplentyofnewstotellme——withsomeobstacleinthewayofdoingit，whichappearedtoamuseinsteadofannoyingher。IfthereisonethingmorethananotherthatIhate，itisbeingpuzzled。IaskedatonceifanythingremarkablehadhappenedduringEunice’svisittoLondon。
Shesmiledmischievously。\"Ihavegotadelicioussurpriseforyou，mydear；andIdosoenjoyprolongingit。Tellme，Helena，whatdidyouproposeweshouldbothdowhenwefoundourselvesathomeagain？\"
Mymemorywasatfault。Eunice’sgoodspiritsbecameabsolutelyboisterous。Shecalledout：\"Catch！\"andtossedherjournalintomyhands，acrossthewholelengthoftheroom。\"Weweretoreadeachother’sdiaries，\"shesaid。\"Thereisminetobeginwith。\"
Innocentofanysuspicionofthetruestateofaffairs，IbeganthereadingofEunice’sjournal。
IfIhadnotseenthefamiliarhandwriting，nothingwouldhaveinducedmetobelievethatagirlbroughtupinapioushousehold，thewell—beloveddaughterofadistinguishedCongregationalMinister，couldhavewrittenthatshamelessrecordofpassionsunknowntoyoungladiesinrespectableEnglishlife。
Whattosay，whattodo，whenIhadclosedthebook，wasmorethanIfeltmyselfequaltodecide。MywretchedsistersparedmetheanxietywhichImightotherwisehavefelt。Itwasshewhofirstopenedherlips，afterthesilencethathadfallenonuswhileIwasreading。Thesewereliterallythewordsthatshesaid：
\"Mydarling，whydon’tyoucongratulateme？\"
Noargumentcouldhavepersuadedme，asthispersuadedme，thatallsisterlyremonstranceonmypartwouldbecompletelythrownaway。
\"MydearEunice，\"Isaid，\"letmebegyoutoexcuseme。Iamwaiting——\"
Theresheinterruptedme——and，oh，inwhatanimpudentmanner！
Shetookmychinbetweenherfingerandthumb，andliftedmydowncastface，andlookedatmewithanappearanceofeagerexpectationwhichIwasquiteatalosstounderstand。
\"Youhavebeenawayfromhome，too。\"shesaid。\"DoIseeinthisseriousfacesomeastonishingnewswaitingtooverpowerme？Have_you_foundasweetheart？Are_you_engagedtobemarried？\"
Ionlyputherhandawayfromme，andadvisedhertoreturntoherchair。Thisperfectlyharmlessproceedingseemedabsolutelytofrightenher。
\"Oh，mydear，\"sheburstout，\"surelyyouarenotjealousofme？\"
Therewasbutonepossiblereplytothis：Ilaughedatit。IsEunice’sheadturned？Shekissedme！
\"Nowyoulaugh，\"shesaid，\"Ibegintounderstandyouagain；I
oughttohaveknownthatyouaresuperiortojealousy。But，dotellme，woulditbesoverywonderfulifothergirlsfoundsomethingtoenvyinmygoodluck？Justthinkofit！Suchahandsomeman，suchanagreeableman，suchacleverman，sucharichman——and，nottheleastofhismerits，by—the—by，amanwhoadmiresYou。Come！ifyouwon’tcongratulateme，congratulateyourselfonhavingsuchabrother—in—lawinprospect！\"
Herhead_was_turned。Idrewthepoorsoul’sattentioncompassionatelytowhatIhadsaidamomentsince。
\"Pardonme，dear，forremindingyouthatIhavenotyetrefusedtooffermycongratulations。IonlytoldyouIwaswaiting。\"
\"Forwhat？\"