173 



"Afraid of what, love?" 



" That you might not be the noble soul I thought 

 you." 



"And so—" 



"And so — " and she burst into tears as she spoke, 

 " I tortured myself and you, and very nearly lost you, 

 Percy — not that I did not love enough, but that I loved 

 too much, and feared to disenchant myself with my 

 ideal. But I'll never do so again, if you'll forgive 

 me, Percy," and she laughed up in his face, well 

 knowing that there was nothing to forgive, and that 

 if there had been, she was forgiven long ago. 



"I ought to have guessed," he said ; "it is I that 

 should ask to be forgiven; but henceforth, Mary 

 dearest, that word must be unknown, between us 

 two — 



* One feeling in two bosoms, 

 Two hearts that beat like one,' '* 



" Amen," said Mary ; and she sank coy, but not re- 

 luctant, into his arms. 



"And Amen," replied the old admiral, who re- 

 turning quietly from his club, had entered the twi- 

 light room so noiselessly, that neither heard him 

 coming, " and now let's go to supper, for, though this 

 love-making is meat and drink to you young folks, 

 we old boys can always do as well with an oyster and 

 a glass of old Sercial, and not quite so well without 

 them." 



Happy Percy Fairfax ! Happy Mary Merton ! I 

 don't know exactly what became of them afterward, 

 but I never heard that either of them ever foigot the 

 Virginian's debut at Melton Mowbray. 



THE END. 



