times again before you are my age."

"But the lady," said Sir John, "tell me of her. Will you--can you present
me to her? If not, will you tell me who she is?"

I remained for a moment in thought, wondering if it were right for me to
tell him that the girl whom he so much admired was the daughter of his
father's enemy. I could see no way of keeping Dorothy's name from him, so
I determined to tell him.

"She is my cousin, Mistress Dorothy Vernon," I said. "The eldest is Lady
Dorothy Crawford. The beautiful, pale girl I do not know."

"I am sorry," returned Sir John; "she is the lady whom you have come to
marry, is she not?"

"Y-e-s," said I, hesitatingly.

"You certainly are to be congratulated," returned Manners.

"I doubt if I shall marry her," I replied.

"Why?" asked Manners.

"For many reasons, chief among which is her beauty."

"That is an unusual reason for declining a woman," responded Sir John,
with a low laugh.

"I think it is quite usual," I replied, having in mind the difficulty with