you."

Dora spoke no word, the tears falling from her bright eyes; this
time there was no young lover to kiss them away. She made no
reply and when Lady Earle sent for her father, Dora ran away; she
would hear no more.

"I know nothing of it, my lady," said the worthy lodge keeper,
who was even more surprised than his master had been. "Young
Ralph Holt wants to marry my daughter, and I have said that she
shall be his wife. I never dreamed that she knew the young
master; she has not mentioned his name."

Lady Earle's diplomacy succeeded beyond her most sanguine
expectations. Stephen Thorne and his wife, although rather
dazzled by the fact that their daughter had captivated the future
Lord Earlescourt, let common sense and reason prevail, and saw
the disparity and misery such a marriage would cause. They
promised to be gentle and kind to Dora, not to scold or reproach
her, and to allow some little time to elapse before urging Ralph
Holt's claims.

When Lady Earle rose, she placed a twenty-pound banknote in the
hands of Stephen Thorne, saying:

"You are sending Dora to Eastham; that will cover the expenses."

"I could not do that, my lady," said Stephen, refusing to take
the money. "I can not sell poor Dora's love."