Billy This, who was smoking his cigar on the veranda, immediately ran and called Harry That to look at them, and laid a bet at once that Lillie had “hooked” Seymour. “She’ll have him, by George, she will!” “Oh, pshaw! she is always hooking fellows, but you see she don’t get married,” said matter-of-fact Harry. “It won’t come to any thing, now, I’ll bet. Everybody said she was engaged to Danforth, but it all ended in smoke.” Whether it would be an engagement, or would all end in smoke, was the talk of Carmel Springs for the next two weeks. At the end of that time, the mind of Carmel Springs was relieved by the announcement that it was an engagement. The important deciding announcement was first authentically made by Lillie to Belle Trevors, who had been invited into her room that night for the purpose. “Well, Belle, it’s all over. He spoke out to-night.” “He offered himself?” “Certainly.” “And you took him?” “Of course I did: I should be a fool not to.” “Oh, so I think, decidedly!” said Belle, kissing her friend in a rapture. “You dear creature! how nice! it’s splendid!” Lillie took the embrace with her usual sweet composure, and turned to her looking-glass, and began taking down her hair for the night. It will be perceived that this young lady was not overcome with emotion, but in a perfectly collected state of mind. “He’s a little bald, and getting rather stout,” she said reflectively, “but he’ll do.” “I never saw a creature so dead in love as he is,” said Belle. A quiet smile passed over the soft, peach-blow cheeks as Lillie answered,— “Oh, dear, yes! He perfectly worships the ground I tread on.” “Lil, you fortunate creature, you! Positively it’s the best match that there has been about here this summer. He’s rich, of an old, respectable family; and then he has good principles, you know, and all that,” said Belle. “I think he’s nice myself,” said Lillie, as she stood brushing out a golden tangle of curls. “Dear me!” she added, “how much better he is than that Danforth! Really, Danforth was a little too horrid: his teeth were dreadful. Do you know, I should have had something of a struggle to take him, though he was so terribly rich? Then Danforth had been horridly dissipated,—you don’t know,—Maria Sanford told me such shocking things about him, and she knows they are true. Now, I don’t think John has ever been dissipated.” [Illustration: “I think he’s nice myself.”] “Oh, no!” said Belle. “I heard all about him. He joined the church when he was only twenty, and has been always spoken of as a perfect model. I only think you may find it a little slow, living in Springdale. He has a fine, large, old-fashioned house there, and his sister is a very nice woman; but they are a sort of respectable, retired set,—never go into fashionable company.”