“We are not engaged. We cannot be engaged without the consent of parents and friends,” said Em. “Eh! Why, did I not swear to marry you, whether or no?” he hurriedly whispered, for the ladies of the household were hastening downstairs, and before Em. could reply they were close behind the lovers. They all entered the lighted dining-room together and seated themselves at the table. “Well! How is Malvina? Got over her fainting fit?” inquired the commodore as he seated himself at the foot of the table. “No, not entirely; but she is lying down in her room carefully watched over by Liza. She will not be able to join us this evening,” replied Mrs. Bruce. “Humph!” exclaimed the commodore, neither very sympathetically nor credulously. When dinner was over the family adjourned to the drawing-room. The old man settled himself in his arm-chair and went to sleep. Belinda Warde placed herself beside Ronald Bruce, and with something like her mother’s powers of fascination held him bound for hours. The three other ladies drew around the center-table with their fancy work of embroidery or crochet. And Em. spent the very dullest evening she had ever passed in all her life. At ten o’clock precisely Commodore Bruce rang up all the servants, sent for the old family Bible and conducted the evening prayers. Then he peremptorily sent every one off to bed. Em. was glad to reach her attic, which had already begun to seem like home in its privacy. It remained just as she had left it four hours before, except that the fire was burning so low that it scarcely half lighted the large room with its lurid glow. There was a box of wood in one corner near the fireplace, and Em. took a few sticks and laid them on the smoldering logs, and soon had a cheerful blaze. Then she took down one of the candles from the mantelpiece, and was about to light it when she started to hear a voice behind her exclaiming: “Dere now! I jes’ dis minute got ’lieved offen duty to Miss Melwiny Warde, which I had to set by her and watch her until Miss Belindy came up to bed and let me go, and den I ran right up here fas’ ever I could to fix your fire and light your candles, and you gone and done it all yourself ’dout de slightest ’sideration for my feelings.” “I didn’t know that you were coming, Liza,” said Em. in a gentle tone. “Now, see dere, now! Didn’t know I was coming; didn’t have no conf’ence in me. Course I was coming, on’y I was ’tained so long dere tending to Miss Malwiny Warde. Takes all de house to ’tend to she?” grumbled Liza as she went about her duties, mending the fire, lighting the candles on the dressing-table, turning down the bed and so on. When she had completed her work she stopped and said: “Now, Miss Em., ef you’s afeard to sleep by yourself I’ll fetch a little mattriss from t’other room and sleep down here ’fore the fire to keep you company.” “Oh, no, thank you. You are very kind to think of it, Liza, but I am not at all afraid.”