He felt that he had been precipitate; that he might, by this temerity, have brought upon himself banishment from the Eden in which he was so happy. He had been over bold in thinking that the time which had sufficed for the growth of passionate love on his part was enough to make this charming girl as fond of him as he was of her. He was ashamed of his presumption. The degrees of their merit were so different; she a being whom to know was to love; he a very commonplace young man. Suzette was quite as easy in her manner with him after that little outbreak as she had been before. He had promised not to renew the attack, and in her simple truthfulness she believed all promises sacred between well-bred people. Mrs. Mornington dropped in at teatime, ready to drive her niece home. It was a common thing now for Suzette to spend the whole day at Discombe, playing classical duets with Mrs. Wornock, or sitting quietly by her side reading or musing while she played the organ. The girl's religious feeling gave significance to that noble music of the old German and Italian masses which to other hearers were only music. The acquaintance between the elder woman and the younger had ripened by this time into a friendship which was not without affection. "Mrs. Wornock is my second aunt, and Discombe is my second home," said Suzette, explaining the frequency of her visits. "And the Grove, does not that count as home?" asked Mrs. Mornington, with an offended air. "It is so much my home that I don't count it at all. It is more like home than Marsh House, both for father and for me." Later, when the pony-carriage was taking aunt and niece along the road to Matcham, Suzette said suddenly, after a silence-- "Auntie, would it be a shock to your nerves if I were to tell you something that happened to-day." "My nerves are very strong, Suzie. What kind of thing was it? and did it concern Mr. Carew _par exemple_?" "How clever you are at guessing! Yes, it was Mr. Carew. He proposed to me." "And of course you accepted him." "Of course! Oh, auntie! what do you think I am made of? I have only known him about two months." "What of that? If you had been brought up in the French fashion--and a very sensible fashion it is, to my thinking--you would have only seen him two or three times before you marched up to the altar with him. Surely you did not reject him?" "I may not have said positively no; but I told him that it was much too soon--that I could not possibly love him after such a short acquaintance, and that, if we were to go on being friends, he must never speak of such a thing again." "Never!" "I think the word was never--or, at any rate, for a long, long time. And he promised." "He will keep his promise, no doubt. Well, Suzette, all I can say is that you must be very difficult to please. I don't believe there is another girl in Matcham who would have refused Allan Carew."