"But it is no use to speak of leaving us yet," said Sheila cheerfully: "it is a long time before you will go away from the Lewis." "And I fancy I shall always think of the island just as it is now--with the moonlight over there, and a loch near, and you walking through the stillness. We have had so many evening walks like this." "You will make us very vain of our island," said the girl with a smile, "if you will speak like that always to us. Is there no moonlight in England? I have pictures of English scenery that will be far more beautiful than any we have here; and if there is the moon here, it will be there too. Think of the pictures of the river Thames that my papa showed you last night--" "Oh, but there is nothing like this in the South," said the young man impetuously. "I do not believe there is in the world anything so beautiful as this. Sheila, what would you say if I resolved to come and live here always?" "I should like that very much--more than you would like it, perhaps," she said with a bright laugh. "That would please you better than for you to go always and live in England, would it not?" "But that is impossible," she said. "My papa would never think of living in England." For some time after he was silent. The two figures in front of them walked steadily on, an occasional roar of laughter from the deep chest of Mackenzie startling the night air, and telling of Ingram's being in a communicative mood. At last Lavender said, "It seems to me so great a pity that you should live in this remote place, and have so little amusement, and see so few people of tastes and education like your own. Your papa is so much occupied--he is so much older than you, too--that you must be left to yourself so much; whereas if you had a companion of your own age, who could have the right to talk frankly to you, and go about with you, and take care of you--" By this time they had reached the little wooden bridge crossing the stream, and Mackenzie and Ingram had got to the inn, where they stood in front of the door in the moonlight. Before ascending the steps of the bridge, Lavender, without pausing in his speech, took Sheila's hand and said suddenly, "Now don't let me alarm you, Sheila, but suppose at some distant day--as far away as you please--I came and asked you to let me be your companion then and always, wouldn't you try?" She looked up with a startled glance of fear in her eyes, and withdrew her hand from him. "No, don't be frightened," he said quite gently. "I don't ask you for any promise. Sheila, you must know I love you--you must have seen it. Will you not let me come to you at some future time--a long way off--that you may tell me then? Won't you try to do that?"