As my reader has divined, Rosa was preparing the comedy of a cool reception; but looking up, she saw his pale cheek tinted with a lover's beautiful joy at the bare sight of her, and his soft eye so divine with love, that she had not the heart to chill him. She gave him her hand kindly, and smiled brightly on him instead of remonstrating. She lost nothing by it, for the very first thing he did was to excuse himself eagerly. “I am behind time: the fact is, just as I was mounting my horse, a poor man came to the gate to consult me. He had a terrible disorder I have sometimes succeeded in arresting--I attack the cause instead of the symptoms, which is the old practice--and so that detained me. You forgive me?” “Of course. Poor man!--only you said you wanted to see papa, and he always goes out at two.” When she had been betrayed into saying this, she drew in suddenly, and blushed with a pretty consciousness. “Then don't let me lose another minute,” said the lover. “Have you prepared him for--for--what I am going to have the audacity to say?” Rosa answered, with some hesitation, “I MUST have--a little. When I refused Colonel Bright--you need not devour my hand quite--he is forty.” Her sentence ended, and away went the original topic, and grammatical sequence along with it. Christopher Staines recaptured them both. “Yes, dear, when you refused Colonel Bright”-- “Well, papa was astonished; for everybody says the colonel is a most eligible match. Don't you hate that expression? I do. Eligible!” Christopher made due haste, and recaptured her. “Yes, love, your papa said”-- “I don't think I will tell you. He asked me was there anybody else; and of course I said 'No.'” “Oh!” “Oh, that is nothing; I had not time to make up my mind to tell the truth. I was taken by surprise; and you know one's first impulse is to fib--about THAT.” “But did you really deceive him?” “No, I blushed; and he caught me; so he said, 'Come, now, there was.'” “And you said, 'Yes, there is,' like a brave girl as you are.” “What, plump like that? No, I was frightened out of my wits, like a brave girl as I am not, and said I should never marry any one he could disapprove; and then--oh, then I believe I began to cry. Christopher, I'll tell you something; I find people leave off teasing you when you cry--gentlemen, I mean. Ladies go on all the more. So then dear papa kissed me, and told me I must not be imprudent, and throw myself away, that was all; and I promised him I never would. I said he would be sure to approve my choice; and he said he hoped so. And so he will.” Dr. Staines looked thoughtful, and said he hoped so too. “But now it comes to the point of asking him for such a treasure, I feel my deficiencies.”