It was not a situation to Mr. Williamson’s liking. He wanted no unwilling bride; and Pamela had shown her aversion for him so plainly that he was entirely disenchanted. But he dared not sav so. Like all of Mr. Galer’s friends, he stood in wholesome fear of that gentleman’s temper. "Well, what do you say?" his friend impatiently demanded. "It seems a little—er—don’t you think—" "Oh, if you don’t wish to marry my grand-daughter, pray say so." "But I do, I do," said Mr. Williamson, feeling himself a miserable coward for not protesting against deceiving the girl. When he went away it was with the understanding that the whole matter must be kept a secret between them. But as he rode dejectedly around the corner of the garden, who should step out in front of him but Miss Jane Galer, such a sparkle of indignation in her eyes, such a flush on her delicate face, that she looked positively young and pretty. He stared at her, and she, without so much as a polite good-morning, said: "I want to know, Josiah Williamson, if you are not ashamed of yourself for plotting against a young girl’s happiness?" "Blame your brother, Miss Jane—blame your brother," he said, in self-defense, having the grace to look very much ashamed of himself, though. "You know he’d almost sell his own soul for the privilege of having his way; but you—I think you ought to have more pride than to want to marry Permely through fraud. What peace or pleasure do you think there would be in it?" "Not much for me, I’ll allow," he said, flicking the willow switch he carried at the flies swarming about his horse’s head. "Miss Permely hasn’t shown her best temper to me lately, and I don’t know as I care to marry her at all. I want somebody that’ll take life quietly and gently." He looked down again at Miss Jane. She smoothed out her black silk apron, still trembling with indignation. "No better-tempered girl lives than Permely Galer; but think of the sore trial of being pestered all the time about marrying one man while she is in love with another. I heard all that brother Jabez said to you, and if you don’t give up the idea of this marriage I’ll tell Permely and Sim, and, more than that, I’ll do all I can to help them if they want to run away." Mr. Williamson was fascinated by her unexpected fire and spirit. "I didn’t know you were so spunky, Jane," he said, admiringly. "We used to go to school together, do you remember?" "Why yes," she replied, surprised at the turn of his thoughts. "You were a gentle little thing, but you had temper enough then. You look, for all the world, as you did the day Eben Sanders gave me such a thrashing."