Mildred took the letter and wrote, in pencil, beneath the signature, "The above offer is positively declined; all future visits on the part of the writer also," and signed her name. "There, return it," she said, "with the information that it is my final reply." [Illustration] Chapter Sixteenth. "Oh jealousy! thou bane of pleasing friendship, Thou worst invader of our tender bosoms: How does thy rancour poison all our softness, And turn our gentle natures into bitterness!" --ROWE. THE news was too good to keep, and Rupert could not forbear stopping at the smithy on his return and giving Gotobed a hint of how matters stood. To say that the certainty of a decided rejection of Ransquattle's suit lifted a burden of anxiety from young Lightcap's mind, is not an over-estimate of the relief the boy's communication afforded him. He had been moody and depressed since his visit of the morning to Ransquattle's shop, and had refused to give Rhoda Jane any satisfaction as to his intentions in regard to making one of the sleighing party of the following evening. She was therefore agreeably surprised when toward bed-time he came, in quite a merry mood, into the kitchen where she sat sewing alone, their mother having stepped out to see a neighbor, to tell her that he had decided to go. "Well, I'm glad of it," she said, "and who are you going to take?" He colored at the question and answered almost doggedly, "I'm going after Sarah Miller." "Why don't you ask Mildred Keith?" "'Cause there ain't no use; Ormsby's headed me off there." "Yes; an' if you don't look out, with yer pokin' ways, he'll head you off altogether, and marry her afore you know it." "She ain't goin' off in such a hurry," he muttered, drumming on the table with his fingers; then jumping up from his chair and going over to the stove, making a pretense of warming himself that he might avoid the keen scrutiny of his sister's sharp eyes; "but what's the use o' me a tryin' with all them fellers round?" "Gote Lightcap, I'm ashamed of you!" exclaimed Rhoda Jane. "If I was a man I'd have more pluck by a long shot. 'Twouldn't be me that would let any feller get ahead where I was amind to go in and win." "You don't know nothin' about it," he retorted, lighting a candle and stalking off to bed. "Dear me, if he only had half my spunk!" said Rhoda Jane, looking after him with scornful eyes and a curling lip. The wish was echoed more than once in his heart as he lay awake far into the night revolving the subject in his mind, and filled with longings, doubts and fears. He had been so greatly rejoiced over the downfall of Ransquattle's hopes; yet after all what did it avail him while the other three, whose superiority he could not help acknowledging to himself, remained in the way? Alas, there was no great cause for exultation that one rival out of four had been removed from his path.