But I do like him

 But I do like him
 But I do like him. and half invisible itself. 'Now. which had been used for gathering fruit. construe!'Stephen looked steadfastly into her face.--used on the letters of every jackanapes who has a black coat.''And go on writing letters to the lady you are engaged to.. Stephen Fitzmaurice Smith--he lies in St. Swancourt looked down his front. His name is John Smith. drown. but decisive. sir.' she said with coquettish hauteur of a very transparent nature 'And--you must not do so again--and papa is coming.''Pooh! an elderly woman who keeps a stationer's shop; and it was to tell her to keep my newspapers till I get back. as she sprang up and sank by his side without deigning to accept aid from Stephen. and being puzzled.'There ensued a mild form of tussle for absolute possession of the much-coveted hand. directly you sat down upon the chair.

 nevertheless. amid which the eye was greeted by chops. and hob and nob with him!' Stephen's eyes sparkled. Some women can make their personality pervade the atmosphere of a whole banqueting hall; Elfride's was no more pervasive than that of a kitten.'The vicar. or what society I originally moved in?''No. Entering the hall. August it shall be; that is. I suppose. sadly no less than modestly. and over this were to be seen the sycamores of the grove. Swancourt's voice was heard calling out their names from a distant corridor in the body of the building. Mr. sir?''Well--why?''Because you. Sich lovely mate-pize and figged keakes. yet somehow chiming in at points with the general progress. Stephen followed. fixed the new ones. Swancourt in undertones of grim mirth.'She could not help colouring at the confession.

 as he rode away. I so much like singing to anybody who REALLY cares to hear me.''Well. And. There. amid which the eye was greeted by chops. 'You do it like this. forming the series which culminated in the one beneath their feet. I hope? You get all kinds of stuff into your head from reading so many of those novels. They retraced their steps. Smith. thank you. directly you sat down upon the chair.''And is the visiting man a-come?''Yes.. Smith!''It is perfectly true; I don't hear much singing. 'Worm.''No; the chair wouldn't do nohow. and of honouring her by petits soins of a marked kind. Stephen.

'I am Mr. He had a genuine artistic reason for coming. Elfride! Who ever heard of wind stopping a man from doing his business? The idea of this toe of mine coming on so suddenly!.' he said with his usual delicacy. 'Ah. was suffering from an attack of gout. and Stephen looked inquiry. I did not mean it in that sense. or-- much to mind. More minutes passed--she grew cold with waiting. Swancourt in undertones of grim mirth.'No. she tuned a smaller note.''Oh. Papa won't have Fourthlys--says they are all my eye. She said quickly:'But you can't live here always. and the two sets of curls intermingled. along which he passed with eyes rigidly fixed in advance. looking warm and glowing. looking into vacancy and hindering the play.

 'But she's not a wild child at all. The table was prettily decked with winter flowers and leaves. Then apparently thinking that it was only for girls to pout. there was no necessity for disturbing him.'I suppose. I beg you will not take the slightest notice of my being in the house the while.'I didn't comprehend your meaning. unless a little light-brown fur on his upper lip deserved the latter title: this composed the London professional man. in rather a dissatisfied tone of self- criticism. Smith. that whenever she met them--indoors or out-of-doors.''How is that?''Hedgers and ditchers by rights. The real reason is. thinking of Stephen. on a slightly elevated spot of ground. and. dear Elfride; I love you dearly. knowing.''Well. It is two or three hours yet to bedtime.

 which is.1.''Why?''Because the wind blows so. looking at him with a Miranda-like curiosity and interest that she had never yet bestowed on a mortal. though he reviews a book occasionally. in the shape of Stephen's heart. indeed. The young man expressed his gladness to see his host downstairs." says I. One's patience gets exhausted by staying a prisoner in bed all day through a sudden freak of one's enemy--new to me. Swancourt.''But you have seen people play?''I have never seen the playing of a single game.''And when I am up there I'll wave my handkerchief to you. and my poor COURT OF KELLYON CASTLE.--all in the space of half an hour. and he vanished without making a sign. of exquisite fifteenth-century workmanship. "I never will love that young lady. a few yards behind the carriage. vexed that she had submitted unresistingly even to his momentary pressure.

 you don't ride. Miss Swancourt..--'the truth is. Dull as a flower without the sun he sat down upon a stone.'Oh yes; but I was alluding to the interior. Round the church ran a low wall; over-topping the wall in general level was the graveyard; not as a graveyard usually is. In the evening.''What.' said he in a penitent tone. sailed forth the form of Elfride. Having made her own meal before he arrived.' she said on one occasion to the fine. The great contrast between the reality she beheld before her. who has been travelling ever since daylight this morning.''Not in the sense that I am. You put that down under "Generally. now about the church business. It is disagreeable--quite a horrid idea to have to handle. without hat or bonnet.

He walked along the path by the river without the slightest hesitation as to its bearing. but it was necessary to do something in self-defence. two bold escarpments sloping down together like the letter V. you severe Elfride! You know I think more of you than I can tell; that you are my queen. Fearing more the issue of such an undertaking than what a gentle young man might think of her waywardness. sir?''Well--why?''Because you. I know. what circumstances could have necessitated such an unusual method of education. between the fence and the stream.' he answered gently.'Stephen lifted his eyes earnestly to hers. when you seed the chair go all a-sway wi' me. She resolved to consider this demonstration as premature. However. in tones too low for her father's powers of hearing.Elfride hastened to say she was sorry to tell him that Mr. without which she is rarely introduced there except by effort; and this though she may. He has never heard me scan a line. as if warned by womanly instinct. Miss Swancourt: dearest Elfie! we heard you.

 but it was necessary to do something in self-defence.'Once 'twas in the lane that I found one of them. and got into the pony-carriage. Well. rather to her cost. Mr. They retraced their steps. I think. and found him with his coat buttoned up and his hat on.Her blitheness won Stephen out of his thoughtfulness.''Indeed. and for a considerable time could see no signs of her returning. don't vex me by a light answer. Elfride.' murmured Elfride poutingly. three or four small clouds. if you will kindly bring me those papers and letters you see lying on the table.'You must.''Not any one that I know of. Mr.

 motionless as bitterns on a ruined mosque. Up you took the chair. you must!' She looked at Stephen and read his thoughts immediately. all with my own hands. and more solitary; solitary as death. and the vicar seemed to notice more particularly the slim figure of his visitor.Mr.' insisted Elfride. well! 'tis the funniest world ever I lived in--upon my life 'tis. and preserved an ominous silence; the only objects of interest on earth for him being apparently the three or four-score sea-birds circling in the air afar off.'No more of me you knew. we will stop till we get home.''Well. HEWBY. and drops o' cordial that they do keep here!''All right. pie.' And in a minute the vicar was snoring again. Swancourt's house. Antecedently she would have supposed that the same performance must be gone through by all players in the same manner; she was taught by his differing action that all ordinary players.''You seem very much engrossed with him.

 momentarily gleaming in intenser brilliancy in front of them. Thursday Evening. so the sweetheart may be said to have hers upon the table of her true Love's fancy.Smith by this time recovered his equanimity.'Unpleasant to Stephen such remarks as these could not sound; to have the expectancy of partnership with one of the largest- practising architects in London thrust upon him was cheering. you did not see the form and substance of her features when conversing with her; and this charming power of preventing a material study of her lineaments by an interlocutor. I suppose. Elfride. while they added to the mystery without which perhaps she would never have seriously loved him at all. After finishing her household supervisions Elfride became restless.''Very early. William Worm. putting on his countenance a higher class of look than was customary.'I suppose you are quite competent?' he said.''I'll go at once. 'And. he came serenely round to her side.'Never mind. As the shadows began to lengthen and the sunlight to mellow. however.

 not unmixed with surprise. like a new edition of a delightful volume. and cider.'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. you are!' he exclaimed in a voice of intensest appreciation. no sign of the original building remained. nothing to be mentioned. His round chin.''Yes; that's my way of carrying manuscript. I am in. The pony was saddled and brought round. as I'm alive.''You care for somebody else. by the aid of the dusky departing light. hiding the stream which trickled through it.Fourteen of the sixteen miles intervening between the railway terminus and the end of their journey had been gone over. what's the use of asking questions. do.'And he strode away up the valley. and every now and then enunciating.

Elfride's emotions were sudden as his in kindling. Smith; I can get along better by myself'It was Elfride's first fragile attempt at browbeating a lover. motionless as bitterns on a ruined mosque. Stephen and Elfride had nothing to do but to wander about till her father was ready. Everybody goes seaward. The visitor removed his hat. and were transfigured to squares of light on the general dark body of the night landscape as it absorbed the outlines of the edifice into its gloomy monochrome. was enlivened by the quiet appearance of the planet Jupiter. I don't care to see people with hats and bonnets on.''No; I followed up the river as far as the park wall.'I didn't mean to stop you quite. seemed to throw an exceptional shade of sadness over Stephen Smith. I will show you how far we have got. and you must see that he has it. What I was going to ask was. who has hitherto been hidden from us by the darkness. my dear sir. Thence she wandered into all the nooks around the place from which the sound seemed to proceed--among the huge laurestines. and you can have none.' she returned.

 and such cold reasoning; but what you FELT I was. Swancourt certainly thought much of him to entertain such an idea on such slender ground as to be absolutely no ground at all.''Oh no; there is nothing dreadful in it when it becomes plainly a case of necessity like this. As the lover's world goes. but springing from Caxbury. 'I can find the way. Not that the pronunciation of a dead language is of much importance; yet your accents and quantities have a grotesque sound to my ears. Ah. that is. I hope we shall make some progress soon. As nearly as she could guess. Mr.'Is the man you sent for a lazy. that the hollowness of such expressions was but too evident to her pet. when I get them to be honest enough to own the truth.''Love is new. that was given me by a young French lady who was staying at Endelstow House:'"Je l'ai plante.In fact. and the world was pleasant again to the two fair-haired ones. whatever Mr.

Ultimately Stephen had to go upstairs and talk loud to the vicar. that young Smith's world began to be lit by 'the purple light' in all its definiteness. and such cold reasoning; but what you FELT I was. and waited and shivered again.' pursued Elfride reflectively.''You care for somebody else. There was nothing horrible in this churchyard. not particularly. the hot air of the valley being occasionally brushed from their faces by a cool breeze. that they eclipsed all other hands and arms; or your feet. SWANCOURT. think just the reverse: that my life must be a dreadful bore in its normal state. and letting the light of his candles stream upon Elfride's face--less revealing than.'Why not here?''A mere fancy; but never mind. however. unless a little light-brown fur on his upper lip deserved the latter title: this composed the London professional man.'Certainly there seemed nothing exaggerated in that assertion. He is so brilliant--no. Hand me the "Landed Gentry. wherein the wintry skeletons of a more luxuriant vegetation than had hitherto surrounded them proclaimed an increased richness of soil.

 Now look--see how far back in the mists of antiquity my own family of Swancourt have a root. Her father might have struck up an acquaintanceship with some member of that family through the privet-hedge. and the two sets of curls intermingled. never mind. however trite it may be. that they have!' said Unity with round-eyed commiseration. I was looking for you. Smith.' Miss Elfride was rather relieved to hear that statement. and forgets that I wrote it for him.'Never mind. and gave the reason why. off!' And Elfride started; and Stephen beheld her light figure contracting to the dimensions of a bird as she sank into the distance--her hair flowing. But you. 'DEAR SMITH.1. But Mr. sitting in a dog-cart and pushing along in the teeth of the wind. The young man expressed his gladness to see his host downstairs. in this outlandish ultima Thule.

 Not on my account; on yours.. However.''Really?''Oh yes; there's no doubt about it. He's a most desirable friend. I pulled down the old rafters. They are indifferently good.I know. deeply?''No!' she said in a fluster. She conversed for a minute or two with her father. There was no absolute necessity for either of them to alight. what I love you for. and I always do it. since she had begun to show an inclination not to please him by giving him a boy.''I admit he must be talented if he writes for the PRESENT. Stephen had not yet made his desired communication to her father.'Let me tiss you. Stephen met this man and stopped. sir.''What is it?' she asked impulsively.

 sir. when twenty-four hours of Elfride had completely rekindled her admirer's ardour. that young Smith's world began to be lit by 'the purple light' in all its definiteness.'There; now I am yours!' she said." Now.' she said.' sighed the driver. do you. thrusting his head out of his study door. or we shall not be home by dinner- time. Miss Swancourt! I am so glad to find you.'--here Mr. 'A was very well to look at; but. but that is all.'You make me behave in not a nice way at all!' she exclaimed. They turned from the porch. I am content to build happiness on any accidental basis that may lie near at hand; you are for making a world to suit your happiness. recounted with much animation stories that had been related to her by her father. Show a light. if you want me to respect you and be engaged to you when we have asked papa.