The Works of E. P. Roe Volume Sixteen A YOUNG GIRL'S WOOING Illustrated 1884 [Illustration: "ARE YOU SO BENT UPON WINNING HER, GRAYDON?"] CONTENTS CHAPTER I A Crescent of a Girl CHAPTER II Graydon Muir CHAPTER III The Parting CHAPTER IV Effort CHAPTER V Achievement CHAPTER VI The Secret of Beauty CHAPTER VII Not a Miracle CHAPTER VIII Rival Girls CHAPTER IX The Meeting CHAPTER X Old Ties Broken CHAPTER XI "I Fear I Shall Fail" CHAPTER XII The Promptings of Miss Wildmere's Heart CHAPTER XIII "You Will Be Disappointed" CHAPTER XIV Miss Wildmere's Strategy CHAPTER XV Perplexed and Beguiled CHAPTER XVI Declaration of Independence CHAPTER XVII Not Strong in Vain CHAPTER XVIII Make Your Terms CHAPTER XIX An Object for Sympathy CHAPTER XX "Veiled Wooing" CHAPTER XXI Suggestive Tones CHAPTER XXII Disheartening Confidences CHAPTER XXIII The Filial Martyr CHAPTER XXIV "I'll See How You Behave" CHAPTER XXV Gossamer Threads CHAPTER XXVI Mrs. Muir's Account CHAPTER XXVII Madge's Story CHAPTER XXVIII Dispassionate Lovers CHAPTER XXIX The Enemies' Plans CHAPTER XXX The Strong Man Unmanned CHAPTER XXXI Checkmate CHAPTER XXXII Madge is Matter-of-Fact CHAPTER XXXIII The End of Diplomacy CHAPTER XXXIV Broken Lights and Shadows CHAPTER XXXV A New Experiment CHAPTER XXXVI Madge Alden's Ride CHAPTER XXXVII "You are Very Blind" CHAPTER XXXVIII "Certainly I Refuse You" CHAPTER XXXIX "My True Friend" CHAPTER XL The End of the Wooing LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS "_Are you so bent upon winning her, Graydon?_" _"There, now, be rational" cried the young girl_ _Her lips were parted, her pose, grace itself_ "_Promise me you will take a long rest_" "_So you imagine I shall soon be making love to another girl?_" CHAPTER I A CRESCENT OF A GIRL When Madge Alden was seventeen years of age an event occurred which promised to be the misfortune of her life. At first she was almost overwhelmed and knew not what to do. She was but a young and inexperienced girl, and for a year or more had been regarded as an invalid.