"I believe them to be good, praiseworthy, godly women. But it is useless to talk about that now. Good-night, Rachel," and she gave her hand coldly to her sister. "Good-night, mother; I wish I could see you alone to-morrow." "Come here for your dinner," said Mrs. Ray. "No;--but if you would come to me in the morning I should take it kindly." This Mrs. Ray promised to do, and then Mrs. Prime walked back to Baslehurst. Rachel, when her sister was gone, felt that there was much to be said between her and her mother. Mrs. Ray herself was so inconsequent in her mental workings, so shandy-pated if I may say so, that it did not occur to her that an entirely new view of Luke Rowan's purposes had been exposed to Rachel during this visit of Mrs. Prime's, or that anything had been said, which made a further explanation necessary. She had, as it were, authorized Rachel to regard Rowan as her lover, and yet was not aware that she had done so. But Rachel had remembered every word. She had resolved that she would permit herself to form no special intimacy with Luke Rowan without her mother's leave; but she was also beginning to resolve that with her mother's leave, such intimacy would be very pleasant. Of this she was quite sure within her own heart,--that it should not be abandoned at her sister's instigation. "Mamma," she said, "I did not know that he had spoken to you in that way." "In what way, Rachel?" Mrs. Ray's voice was not quite pleasant. Now that Mrs. Prime was gone, she would have been glad to have had the dangerous subject abandoned for a while. "That he had asked you to let him come here, and that he had said that about me." "He did then,--while you were away at Mrs. Sturt's." "And what answer did you give him?" "I didn't give him any answer. You came back, and I'm sure I was very glad that you did, for I shouldn't have known what to say to him." "But what was it that he did say, mamma?--that is, if you don't think it wrong to tell me." "I hardly know; but I don't suppose it can be wrong, for no young man could have spoken nicer; and it made me happy to hear him,--so it did, for the moment." "Oh, mamma, do tell me!" and Rachel kneeled down before her. "Well;--he said you were the nicest girl he had ever seen." "Did he, mamma?" And the girl clung closer to her mother as she heard the pleasant words. "But I oughtn't to tell you such nonsense as that; and then he said that he wanted to come out here and see you, and--and--and--; it is simply this, that he meant to ask you to be his sweetheart, if I would let him." "And what did you say, mamma?" "I couldn't say anything because you came back." "But you told Dolly that you would be glad to see him whenever he might choose to come here." "Did I?" "Yes; you said he was welcome to come whenever he pleased, and that you believed him to be a very good young man." "And so I do. Why should he be anything else?" "I don't say that he's anything else; but, mamma--" "Well, my dear."