“Go to-day, Dan,” she said, and she stretched out her hand impressively across the table toward him. He seized it with a gush of tenderness, and they drew together in their resolution to live for others. He said he would go at once. But the next train did not leave till two o'clock, and there was plenty of time. In the meanwhile it was in the accomplishment of their high aims that they sat down on the sofa together and talked of their future; Alice conditioned it wholly upon his people's approval of her, which seemed wildly unnecessary to Mavering, and amused him immensely. “Yes,” she said, “I know you will think me strange in a great many things; but I shall never keep anything from you, and I'm going to tell you that I went to matins this morning.” “To matins?” echoed Dan. He would not quite have liked her a Catholic; he remembered with relief that she had said she was not a Roman Catholic; though when he came to think, he would not have cared a great deal. Nothing could have changed her from being Alice. “Yes, I wished to consecrate the first morning of our engagement; and I'm always going. I determined that I would go before breakfast--that was what made breakfast so late. Don't you like it?” she asked timidly. “Like it!” he said. “I'm going with you:” “Oh no!” she turned upon him. “That wouldn't do.” She became grave again. “I'm glad you approve of it, for I should feel that there was something wanting to our happiness. If marriage is a sacrament, why shouldn't an engagement be?” “It is,” said Dan, and he felt that it was holy; till then he had never realised that marriage was a sacrament, though he had often heard the phrase. At the end of an hour they took a tender leave of each other, hastened by the sound of Mrs. Pasmer's voice without. Alice escaped from one door before her mother entered by the other. Dan remained, trying to look unconcerned, but he was sensible of succeeding so poorly that he thought he had better offer his hand to Mrs. Pasmer at once. He told her that he was going up to Ponkwasset Falls at two o'clock, and asked her to please remember him to Mr. Pasmer. She said she would, and asked him if he were to be gone long. “Oh no; just overnight--till I can tell them what's happened.” He felt it a comfort to be trivial with Mrs. Pasmer, after bracing up to Alice's ideals. “I suppose they'll have to know.” “What an exemplary son!” said Mrs. Pasmer. “Yes, I suppose they will.” “I supposed it would be enough if I wrote, but Alice thinks I'd better report in person.”