"This language as I now know referred to Emma, and she was under no error in regard to it, nor was my father nor my aunt. But I thought it referred to me, and as I read on and came upon the sentence in which he asked, as I supposed, for my hand and the privilege of offering himself to me at the coming ball, I experienced such a revulsion of feeling that I lost all memory of the words I had overheard him speak, or attributed them to some misunderstanding on my part, which a word or look from him could easily explain. "Life bloomed for me again, and I was happy, madly happy for a few short moments. Even the horrible old room I was in seemed cheerful, and I was just acknowledging to myself that I should have made a great mistake if I had carried out my wicked impulse toward self-destruction, when my father came in. He shrank back when he saw me; but I thought nothing of that; I did not even wonder why Emma was closeted with aunt. I only thought of the coming ball, and the necessity of preparing myself for it right royally. "I had come from the desk, and was crossing the floor to go out. My happiness made me turn. "'Father,' said I, taking what I thought to be an arch advantage of the situation; 'may I not have a new dress for the ball?' "He paused, cast a glance at his desk, and then another at me. He had been, though I did not know it, in conversation with Emma and my aunt, and was more alive to the matters of the hour than usual. It was therefore with some display of severity that he confronted me and said: "'You are not going to the ball, Hermione.' "Struck as by a blow, the more severely that it was wholly unexpected, I gasped: "'Not going to the ball when you know what depends upon it? Do you not like Dr. Sellick, father?' "He mumbled something between his lips, and advancing to the desk, took up the letter which he thus knew I had read, and ostentatiously folded it. "'I like Dr. Sellick well enough,' was his reply, 'but I do not approve of balls, and desire you to keep away from them.' "'But you said we might go,' I persisted, suspecting nothing, seeing nothing in this but a parent's unreasonable and arbitrary display of power. 'Why have you changed your mind? Is it because Dr. Sellick has fixed upon that time for making me the offer of his hand?' "'Perhaps,' his dry lips said. "Angry as I had never been in all my life, I tried to speak, and could not. Had I escaped suicide to have my hopes flung in this wanton way again to the ground, and for no reason that I or any one else could see?' "'But you acknowledge,' I managed at last to stammer, 'that you like him.' "'That is not saying I want him for a son-in-law.' "'Whom do you want?' I cried. 'Is there any one else in town superior to him in wit or breeding? If he loves me----' "My father's lip curled. "'He says he does,' I flashed out fiercely. "'You should not have read my letters,' was all my father replied.