Moreover, with the dawning jealousy that all strong likings bring, she wished to appropriate her--and was quite annoyed that Anne sat so long discussing winter mantles with Eulalie and Mary, afterwards diverging to a Christmas clothing fund to be started at Kingcombe under Mrs. Dugdale's eye; finally listening to a whispered communication on the part of the Beauty--which had reference to a certain “Edward”--about whose position in the family there could be no mistake. At last, to Agatha's great satisfaction, Miss Valery rose, and proposed that they two--Mrs. Harper and herself--should go and visit Elizabeth. Passing through the galleries, Anne seemed tired, and walked slowly, stopping one minute at a window to show her companion the moonlight over the hills. “Is it not a beautiful world? If we could but look at it always as we do when we are young!” The half sigh, the momentary shadow sweeping over her quiet face like a cloud over the moon--surprised and touched Agatha. “Do you know I have stood and looked out of this same window ever since I was the height of its first pane. No wonder I have a weakness for stopping here and looking out for a minute at my dear old moon. But let us pass on.” She took up her candle again, and led Agatha by the hand, like a pet-child, to Elizabeth's door. Miss Harper was lying as usual, but had a writing-case before her, and it was astonishing what neat caligraphy those weak childish-looking fingers could execute. It resembled the writer's own mind--clear, delicate, well-arranged, exact. “We are not come to stay very long; but do we interrupt you, Elizabeth?” “Never, Anne, dear! I was only writing to Frederick. He is gone abroad, you are aware?” “Yes.” “I want to know why he went? Has Nathanael told either of you?” said Elizabeth, fixing her quick eyes on both her visitors. Both answered in the negative--Miss Valery saying, with attempted gaiety, “You know, one might as well question a stone wall as Nathanael. He can be both deaf and dumb.” “Not to me. Everybody tells me everything, or I find it out. I found out that this little lady had a chance of being my sister-in-law before ever she herself was certain of the fact. Ah, Agatha, you should have seen Nathanael when he came down to us that week.” “What did he do?” the young wife asked, not without some painful curiosity--for sometimes, in the moments when she could not “make out” her husband's rather peculiar character, a wicked demon had whispered that perhaps Mr. Harper had never truly loved her, or that his devotion was too sudden to be a lasting reality. “What did he do?--Oh, nothing. He was very quiet, very self-possessed. You could hardly tell he was in love at all. Nobody ever guessed it but I--not even Anne. But in love or not, I saw that he was determined to have you; and when Nathanael determines on a thing--Oh, I knew you would be married to him! You could not help it!”