THEIR FIRST YEAR’S MARRIED LIFE. 7 
This speech from Miss B. was received with 
murmurs of incredulity by the female portion 
of the company, for they instinctively saw the 
double meaning of her words. Mr. Brown 
has been no more than a friend to me, and I 
have regarded him only as such,” evidently 
meant that he now was something else. 
Her saying, that they had never talked of 
love matters,” and so forth, might be under- 
stood in two ways ; for it is not always neces- 
sary for both parties to talk in such cases, the 
male usually doing that part of the work be- 
fore marriage, and the female reserving it as 
her privilege after ; and she generally im- 
proves it. 
While the party were in the midst of their 
dispute, a large black snake had crept unper- 
ceived through the bushes, and, while Miss 
Brown was speaking, had slowly ascended the 
tree in which she was sitting ; when her speech 
was ended, he uttered, close beside her, a loud 
hiss. Turning around quickly, at the insult 
as she supposed from one of her companions, 
she saw beside her the hateful enemy of her 
race. 
