To the widow their disclosure came as a shock. At first she thought the silly pair must be joking--then that they were mad. Finally she realized their earnestness and their happiness and saw that the situation was serious and must be dealt with with the utmost tact. Still, she could hardly believe what she saw and heard. Was it possible that the demure girl talking to her so seriously of love and marriage was her little Virginia--her baby? And that these two should have thought of such a thing! Cousins!--Brother and sister, almost!--And with such disparity in ages--thirteen and six-and-twenty! She had lived long enough, however, to know that love is governed by no rules or regulations and besides, she had kept through all the changes and chances of her checkered life, a belief in true love as fresh as a girl's. This was too sacred a thing to be carelessly handled--only, it was not what she would have chosen.... Yet--was it not? A new thought came to her--a revelation--inspiration--what you will, and sunk her in deep revery. Why was this not what she would have chosen? Why not a union between her children--her all? Her own days were fast running out. She could not live and make a home for them always--then, what would become of them? She would die happy, when her time came, if she could see them in their own home, bound by the most sacred, the most indissoluble of ties--bound together until death should part them! She fell asleep with a heart full of thankfulness to God for his mercies. A quite different view of the matter was taken by other members of the Poe connection in Baltimore--particularly the men, who positively refused to regard the love affair as anything more than sentimental nonsense--"moonshine"--they called it, which would be as fleeting as it was foolish. Their cousin, Judge Neilson Poe, who had made a pet of Virginia, was especially active in his opposition and brought every argument he could think of to bear upon the young lovers and upon Mrs. Clemm in his endeavor to induce them to break the engagement; but he only succeeded in sending Virginia flying with frightened face to "Buddie's" arms, vowing (as, much to Cousin Neilson's disgust, she hung upon his neck) that she would never give him up, while "Buddie," holding her close, assured her, in the story-book language that they both loved, that "all the king's horses and all the king's men" would not be strong enough to take her from him. CHAPTER XXI.