"Ah, Miss
Rose," he exclaimed, "blooming as ever, in spite of wintry days. Do
you know I came very near going past your door?" He allowed the
announcement of this providentially averted calamity to sink deep into
her heart, while he bowed to Allan.
"This is an unexpected pleasure," murmured the young lady, with
sufficient formality to prevent her words from being dangerously
insincere.
"Unexpected to you and a pleasure to me?" queried the gentleman, with
a keen glance at the pair, whose _tete-a-tete_ he had evidently
disturbed, "or do your words bear reference to the idea of seeing me
going past your door?"
The amount of truth in these very good guesses startled the girl to
whom they were addressed into an uncomfortable sense of guilt. "How
can you accuse me of anything so horrid?" she said, drawing her chair
not far from him, and looking into his face with the appreciative air
and attitude that are not to be resisted.
"Mr. Galton," said Herbert, who, having completed the game, and
vanquished his sister, could afford to turn his attention to the
frivolous conversation of his elders, "do you know what Rose said
when she saw you coming? She said, 'Oh, dear, I am so glad!'"
"Herbert," implored Rose, crimsoning under these carefully reported
words, and fearing that Mr.
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