HARK FORRARD! 39 



ask her very humbly if her heart was her own. 

 She coloured up like lightning, and in an in- 

 stant was pale as death, and said, " You may 

 ask, Mr. Acton, and I will tell you ; my heart 

 is not my own." I thanked her, made an 

 excuse to her mother that you were all alone, 

 and somehow or other found myself in the 

 street. So that is all over, but as I said before 

 I would rather it had ended like this than that 

 I had never seen her. Oh, that week of bliss ! ' 



' Well,' said Reginald, ' we must be off as 

 soon as possible to Virginia. I vote we go to- 

 morrow. New York is beastly hot, and it can't 

 be worse in the country, probably be a lot better ; 

 besides, I want to get amongst the horses.' 



' I am quite ready to start to-morrow. I 

 expect the faithful Holmes will have unpacked 

 all our things though ; I am very glad you sent 

 James back from Liverpool, as the accommoda- 

 tion in the country-houses here is nothing 

 marvellous from what Ray Danby tells me in 

 his letters.' 



The evening train of the following day bore 



