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"But you won't part us altogether,--will you, Fred?"

"No, love"

"I kneouldn't And rand house and creep into soo and visit her, and tell her that she shall always bemother"

He felt that heof it would be very dreadful Indeed in the doing of it the whole of his task would consist But still he shirked it, and used his wit in contriving an anshichfalse in words "I think," said he, "that I shall never live at any grand house, as you call it"

"Not live at Scroope?" asked Mrs O'Hara

"I think not It will hardly suitfor a grand house I should only be afraid of it I know it is dark and sombre, for you have said so Oh, Fred, any place will be Paradise to me, if I am there with you"

He felt that every moment of existence so continued was a renewed lie She was lying in his ared wife And she was speaking of her future ho certainly his also But what could he do? How could he begin to tell the truth? His home should be her home, if she would coanatic h reproaches of the priest, and could only be used as a prelude to his viler proposal And, though he loved the girl after his fashion, he desired to wound her by no such vile proposal He did not wish to live a life of sin, if such life ht be avoided If he made his proposal, it would be but for her sake; or rather that he ht show her that he did not wish to cast her aside It was by asserting to himself that for her sake he would relinquish his own rank, were that possible, that he attempted to relieve his own conscience But, in theabout their joint future ho?" asked Mrs O'Hara in a tone which shewed plainly the anxiety hich she asked the question

"Probably abroad," he said

"But irl felt that the tension of his arm was relaxed, and she knew that all was not ith hiht amiss with him, how much more must it be amiss with her? "What is it, Fred?" she said "There is some secret Will you not tell it to me?" Then she whispered into his ear words intended for hih her mother heard them "If there be a secret you should tell it me now Think how it is with me Your words are life and death to me now" He still held her with loosened ar out into the middle of the room with fixed eyes, and he felt that drops of perspiration were on his brow And he knew that the other wo at hih he did not dare to turn his own to her face "Fred, tell me; tellover hi him