170 A BOTHER, AND — A BRIDE. 



met them face to face. Brow, cheeks, neck, blazed as 

 onee before ; but she rode out a horse's length before 

 the others, and met him midway. 



They shook both hands, horses and reins unheeded. 



"I am so glad to see you, Mary." 



'' And I ; so vert/ — so very, ver^ glad. And here 

 are papa, and your old friend Charley, Colonel Fair- 

 fax ; and here is little Fan, Mrs. Charles Merton, I 

 should say; and they have brought home a little 

 Henry Merton, and papa has forgiven him." 



A strange gleam of day-light appeared to dawn 

 upon Fairfax. He thought he saw light through the 

 cloud which had so strangely, so unexpectedly, come 

 between them — and which, so inexplicable had the 

 whole mystery appeared to him, he had never dared 

 so much as to try to penetrate, lest he should wrong 

 her in his thoughts. 



" And 7/ou have forgiven me, Mary ?" said Fairfax, 

 all his pride forgotten. 



"No. But can you forgive me V she answered. 



She had time to say this much only, before they 

 were surrounded, and all was for a time welcome, and 

 joy, and congratulation. Fairfax joined their party; 

 Charley was joyously, almost boisterously, happy; 

 little Fan full of gentle mirth ; the admiral more than 

 cordial. 



" Could not Percy Fairfax — be hanged if he could 

 help calling him Percy, since the day he saw him so 

 smashed — could not Percy Fairfax ride home with 

 them and dine in Grosvenor Street, as he had done at 

 Merton Park, twenty times, without making a fuss 

 about it ?" 



" Percy Fairfax would have been too happy ; but 

 — there always must be a hut — he was on duty that 

 evening ; his chief had an official dinner, he really was 

 very sorry." 



And he really was. But, before they parted at 



